FG condemns leakage of Ibom Air Passenger Video, Reads Riot Act on Flight Safety

The Federal Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, has strongly condemned the public release of the sensitive footage of the unruly Ibom Air passenger — showing moments of indecent exposure.

The incident occurred in a violent altercation between a passenger identified as Ms. Comfort Emmanson (also known as Comfort Bob) with the flight crew of Ibom Air and ground staff on August 10, 2025, during Ibom Airline Flight Q153 from Uyo to Lagos.  The confrontation began after she allegedly refused to switch off her mobile phone during take-off, violating International Civil Aviation Regulations.

The Minister in a statement released on his X-platform on Monday labelled it as “totally unacceptable” and “a debasing of womanhood.”

Keyamo said: “We will not fold our arms and tolerate such violations. The individual or individuals responsible for releasing that portion of the video will be identified and sanctioned.”

While confirming that video evidence is essential for prosecution, Keyamo stressed that privacy and human dignity must be protected, even for individuals facing criminal charges.

Sanctions and Staff Training Ordered

He added: “I have therefore directed that whoever released that part of the video containing the incident exposure amongst the staff member(s) singled out and adequately sanctioned.

Airlines have also been ordered to step up training in public relations and crisis management to ensure incidents are handled professionally and with dignity.

Incident Still Under Review

While aviation authorities have acted swiftly with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) imposing an indefinite local and international flight ban and police arraigning her in court before remanding her to Kirikiri Prisons — attention has now shifted to the conduct of those who leaked the video.