The Open Society on Justice Reform Project (OSJRP) has strongly condemned the recent incident involving Ibom Air and a female passenger, Ms. Comfort Emmanson, calling her forcible removal from a flight a “gross violation of her fundamental rights” under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
In a statement released today, Sam Akpologun of the OSJRP highlighted three key constitutional breaches:
Akpologun stated that Ms. Emmanson was subjected to “inhuman and degrading treatment,” and that an assault and “forceful arrest and detention” by the crew before the widely circulated video constituted a breach of her right to freedom of movement.
The group also argued that the airline’s decision to impose an indefinite ban and publicly condemn the passenger without giving her a chance to defend herself was unconstitutional and violated her right to a fair hearing.
“The Civil Aviation Act does not authorise airlines to humiliate passengers or impose lifetime bans without due process,” the statement read. “Safety measures must be reasonable, necessary, and proportionate, not punitive and degrading.”
The OSJRP is demanding an immediate lifting of the indefinite ban, a public apology from Ibom Air, and compensation for the breach of Ms. Emmanson’s rights. The group has given the airline 48 hours to meet these demands, threatening to take “necessary steps” to protect her rights if they are not met.
