The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has summoned Ibom Air cabin crew member, Juliana Edward and the embattled passenger, Comfort Emmanson, for further investigations.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this during a question and answer session at the Emergency National Civil Aviation Security Committee and Stakeholders Meeting held Tuesday in Abuja.
Achimugu noted that he spoke with Emmanson earlier in the day, adding that the passenger and the crew member involved had been summoned for further enquiry.
“I have spoken with Ms. Emmanson this morning. We are also inviting the Ibom Air cabin crew for continued investigation on the incident. They will be here tomorrow,” he said.
He, however, clarified that the pilot did not call in security personnel upon landing in Lagos, as the issue seemed resolved during the flight.
However, Emmanson, who reportedly visited the restroom after landing, was the last to disembark from the aircraft.
Achimugu assured that NCAA remains committed to uncovering all the facts surrounding the incident.
In his reaction, Senator Buhari Abdulfatai, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, attributed rising incidents of misconduct in the aviation sector to a general decline in discipline among passengers, airport staff and crew.
It was also gathered that the NCAA has issued a fresh directive that all mobile phones must be completely switched off during flight take-off and landing.
Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, recently stirred controversy in the country’s aviation sector after being forcibly removed from an aircraft at the Lagos airport after she assaulted cabin crew members.
The NewsMatrics reports that the incident, captured in viral video on social media, led to Emmanson’s arrest and detention at Kirikiri prisons.
Reprieve soon came however after the intervention of the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo who secured her release and had criminal charges against her dropped.
