Lifetime ban on Ibom Air passenger systematically wrong, says Peter Obi

Lifetime ban on Ibom Air passenger systematically wrong, says Peter Obi

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP)
in the 2023 elections, has criticised the decision of the airline union to
place a lifetime ban on a passenger over alleged misconduct.

 

In a post published via his X page on Tuesday, Obi said the
Nigerian justice system is “like a spider’s web: it catches the weak, while the
powerful break through with ease”.

 

BACKGROUND

 

On Sunday, videos shared on X showed an enraged Comfort
Emmanson, a passenger, attacking a flight attendant on an Ibom Air plane and
confronting airport security officials.

 

 

Afterwards, Ibom Air imposed a travel restriction on the
passenger for her conduct.

 

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) also placed Emmanson
on its “no‑fly” list for
life over what it described as “one of the
most severe cases of unruly behaviour witnessed this year”.

 

Emmanson has reportedly been remanded in Kirikiri
Correctional Centre.

 

A magistrates’ court in Ogba, Lagos, ordered that the
passenger be remanded in the correctional centre until October 6.

 

On Monday, Mike Achimugu, the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA) director of public affairs and consumer protection, said while
the airline had the right to pursue prosecution, the parties could still settle
out of court if they agreed to, allowing for possible withdrawal of the case.

 

‘IT’S UNJUST’

 

The former Anambra governor questioned the process that led
to Emmanson’s sanction, asking whether all avenues for justice and
compassionate resolution had been exhausted.

 

Obi said it was a “tragic irony” that a young woman could be
barred for life while “those in positions of authority perpetrate far greater
offences that harm the nation deeply, yet move freely in comfort, shielded from
consequences”.

 

“This morning, I woke up to learn that the passenger, the
young Ms Comfort Emmanson in her twenties, has been banned from flying for life
— once again showing how our system works, proving the truth of Anacharsis’s
words that ‘the law is like a spider’s web: it catches the weak, while the
powerful break through with ease’,” Obi wrote.

 

“There is something systemically wrong and unjust about this
authoritarian decision.

 

“What due process was followed overnight leading to this
sanction? Have we exhausted the avenues of justice and compassionate resolution
in this matter?

 

“It is a tragic irony that a young lady in her twenties can
be banned for life, while we — her parents — commit worse crimes against
humanity and are celebrated.

 

“Those in positions of authority perpetrate far greater
offences that harm the nation deeply, yet move freely in comfort, shielded from
consequences.

 

“In Ms Emmanson’s case, the authorities acted with lightning
speed, but the same urgency is absent when dealing with the influential and
politically connected.

 

“If this young woman, who indeed acted wrongly, now seeks to
apologise, who will hear her cry in a country where the pain of the poor is
invisible and the dignity of the less privileged is often disregarded? Justice
must be consistent, or it becomes oppression in disguise.”

 

Restating the need for compassion and rehabilitation, Obi
said “power must never determine who is punished”.

 

The incident happened days after a row at the domestic
terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, involving Wasiu
Ayinde, a popular Fuji musician.

 

The musician was placed on a no-fly list, pending the
outcome of a full investigation.

 

The NCAA also petitioned the attorney-general of the
federation (AGF) and the inspector-general of police (IGP) to investigate the
incident.

Source: Lifetime ban on Ibom Air passenger systematically wrong, says Peter Obi

 - NigerianEye
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