Two days after regaining her freedom from remand, Comfort Emmason — the Nigerian passenger whose clash with an Ibom Air hostess sparked a viral controversy — has given a detailed account of the incident, insisting she was wrongfully labelled an “unruly passenger.”
In a lengthy Facebook post on Friday, Emmason recounted her experience aboard the Uyo–Lagos flight of August 10, 2025, beginning from when she boarded the aircraft “peacefully like every other passenger” with no intention of causing trouble.
According to her, the issue started before take-off during routine safety checks, when she was asked to switch off her phone. She explained to the first hostess — whom she described as “polite and understanding” — that her phone’s power button was faulty and that she normally used airplane mode instead. She claimed she even offered to hand over the device for assistance.
However, Emmason alleged that a second hostess approached and spoke to her “in a harsh and disrespectful tone,” dismissing her explanation and warning her to “better obey” if she did not want trouble. She said a nearby passenger eventually helped her switch off the phone completely, but the same hostess continued staring at her “aggressively” throughout the flight.
The lady said the confrontation escalated after landing in Lagos, when the same hostess allegedly confronted her at the exit door, accusing her of making threats and promising to “show” her. Emmason claimed she asked what offence she had committed, but instead of receiving an answer, the hostess raised her hand as though to touch her again. “I instinctively defended myself and told her not to harass me,” she wrote.
She alleged that security was called almost immediately, and despite her pleas for officials to review videos from passengers’ phones, she was dragged off the plane “like a criminal” and taken to the airport police station.
At the station, Emmason said a manager from Ibom Air presented a version of events accusing her of assaulting a crew member and endangering the flight. She denied the allegations, again requesting a review of video evidence, but claimed she was ignored and moved straight to detention before being transferred to Kirikiri prison.
“Everything I went through started from a faulty phone power button and a hostess who chose to abuse her authority instead of simply helping a passenger,” she stated, adding that she had forgiven everyone involved but wanted the public to finally hear her truth.
Emmason, who has received public sympathy and support since the incident, thanked those who prayed, spoke up, and advocated for her release. “God bless you all,” she concluded, signing off with the hashtag #TruthMatters.
