In a significant shift, the Nigerian aviation authority has announced it is withdrawing criminal complaints and lifting flight bans against two high-profile individuals involved in recent unruly passenger incidents.
The decision, announced by Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) in a press statement today, follows extensive consultations with aviation stakeholders.
The individuals involved are Comfort Emmanson, who was involved in an incident with Ibom Airline, and Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, also known as KWAM1, who had a dispute with ValueJet. Both individuals had faced criminal complaints and flight bans following their actions.
The authority confirmed it has consulted with Ibom Airline, which has agreed to withdraw its complaint against Ms. Comfort Emmanson. According to the statement, Emmanson showed “great remorse” for her conduct. The decision paves the way for her release from Kirikiri prison this week.
In a further act of clemency, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have also agreed to lift the lifetime flight ban that was previously imposed on her. The AON is expected to release further details on this resolution.
For Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will reduce his flight ban to one month. Additionally, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) plans to engage the music star as an ambassador for promoting proper airport security protocol. The NCAA will also withdraw its criminal complaint against him.
The two pilots involved in the incident with Kwam 1, Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba of VALUEJET, will have their licenses restored by the NCAA after a one-month ban and a mandatory professional re-appraisal.
Moving forward, Keyamo announced a new directive for a retreat to retrain aviation security personnel. The training will focus on handling “errant and disruptive passengers” and on de-escalating tense situations. This retreat will be open to the press.
Additionally, airlines will participate in their training sessions, focusing on the conduct and attitude of their staff toward the public.
Keyamo’s statement emphasises that the decisions were made on “compassionate grounds” and are not an indication that the government will tolerate future infractions. “We are also sending a CLEAR MESSAGE that we take safety and security in the aviation sector very seriously and we have decided to draw a line after these clemencies,” the statement concluded.
