Legal practitioner and Partner at ALP NG & Co, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, FCIArb, has expressed deep concern over the treatment of Ms. Comfort Emmanson during an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on 10 August 2025, and the subsequent lifetime flight ban imposed on her by the airline and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).
Badejo-Okusanya acknowledged that passenger safety and compliance with flight protocols are vital under the Civil Aviation Act 2022 and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations but stressed that enforcement must be lawful, proportionate, and respectful of human dignity.
She described the public images and videos showing Ms. Emmanson being stripped and dragged as “deeply troubling,” particularly when contrasted with how other high-profile incidents have been handled with restraint.
She condemned the circulation of unrelated images and commentary aimed at discrediting Ms. Emmanson, calling them irrelevant and damaging to fair public discourse.
Referencing the Nigerian Bar Association’s earlier statement, Badejo-Okusanya noted that imposing a lifetime ban without giving Ms. Emmanson a fair hearing violates fundamental principles of administrative justice. She emphasised that no private body has constitutional authority to impose such a sanction without due process.
Without excusing any misconduct on Ms. Emmanson’s part, she warned that enforcing rules does not include the right to provoke, unlawfully detain, or use disproportionate force. Allegations that Ms. Emmanson was restrained and prevented from leaving the aircraft, if proven, could themselves amount to unlawful conduct.
She joined the NBA in demanding:
- An independent, transparent investigation into the incident with Ms. Emmanson’s account fully heard.
- Immediate withdrawal of the lifetime ban and a review of AON’s actions for legal compliance.
- Clearer enforcement protocols that uphold both aviation safety and constitutional rights.
- Prosecution of those responsible for filming and circulating indecent footage in violation of her privacy.
“This is bigger than one passenger or one airline; it is about the kind of country we want to live in. If we normalise the erosion of dignity and due process in the name of enforcement, then tomorrow it could be any of us,” she concluded.
Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, FCIArb
Partner, ALP NG & Co.
