The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), a pro-democracy and human rights organisation, is expressing serious concerns following the Federal Government’s decision to drop criminal charges against a female passenger involved in an altercation on an Ibom Air flight.
While FENRAD welcomes the decision to withdraw the charges as a long-overdue step towards de-escalation, it strongly condemns the apparent lack of justice for the degrading and inhumane treatment the passenger endured at the hands of the airline’s crew.
Reports and video footage widely circulated on social media show the passenger was not only humiliated but also subjected to invasive treatment.
Images and videos of her in a state of undress were released to the public, a gross violation of her privacy, dignity, and rights as guaranteed by Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
FENRAD is deeply troubled by the silence from key regulatory bodies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
The actions of the Ibom Air crew, specifically those who filmed and disseminated the passenger’s private content, may constitute criminal acts under Nigeria’s Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, and other laws protecting citizens from defamation, harassment, and privacy violations.
Consequently, FENRAD is calling for the immediate institution of criminal charges against any Ibom Air staff found culpable in the humiliation, defamation, and unauthorised release of the passenger’s private videos.
FENRAD urges the NCAA to conduct a thorough investigation into Ibom Air’s handling of the incident and to review the airline’s compliance with passenger rights protocols.
FENRAD also demands a public apology to the victim and assurances that such an incident will not happen again.
This case, FENRAD notes, highlights broader systemic issues within Nigeria’s aviation sector concerning the protection of passenger rights.
The foundation stands in solidarity with the victim and remains committed to ensuring that justice and the rule of law prevail.
