The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified the reason Comfort Emmanson, an Ibom Air passenger accused of assaulting crew members, was remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, while Fuji music icon Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as Kwam 1, who allegedly disrupted a ValueJet flight in Abuja last week, did not face similar court proceedings.

Recall that the Uyo–Lagos incident on Sunday sparked public outrage and accusations of selective justice. Viral videos showed Emmanson slapping and kicking airline and airport officials, including a female air hostess, after she allegedly refused repeated instructions to switch off her phone before take-off. In one clip, she was seen being dragged off the aircraft by security personnel.

This came days after Ayinde was accused of obstructing ValueJet’s morning service (Flight VK 201) to Lagos on August 5, an incident that also led to public criticism.

However, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, said the two incidents were different.

His words: “There is no comparison here; it’s not a case of oranges and oranges. In the Kwam1 incident, the airline did not activate its rights to take the passenger to court, so the NCAAA did what it was supposed to do by petitioning the authorities to petition the passenger.

“In the Ibom Air incident, maybe because their staff had been assaulted, the airline immediately activated its right to take up the matter, and it went to court.”

He noted that the NCAA was not directly involved in Emmanson’s case, whereas in Kwam 1’s situation, the authority issued an advisory to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to ban the musician from flights.

Achimugu further clarified that, contrary to earlier reports, Kwam 1 was not placed on a six-month ban but on an indefinite ban pending the outcome of investigations.

Explaining why Emmanson was placed on a no-fly life ban, Achimugu said airline operators have the legal authority to take such action.

“We have a lot of flight disruptions in Nigeria because we lack capacity. There aren’t enough aircraft in the country at the moment to meet passenger demand. So, while managing the limited capacity we have, any risk to an aircraft is unacceptable. People spend huge sums leasing or buying aircraft — do you want to destroy them?

“If anything had happened to that plane yesterday, would she have been able to afford the repairs, beyond the cost?” he asked.

Achimugu added that the aircraft involved was scheduled for another flight, and failing to remove the passenger could have caused further disruptions.

Speaking further, he assured that the Ibom Air case would be handled fairly but warned that “unruly” behaviour by passengers would not be tolerated.

“The point I am trying to make is that no matter the provocation, rest assured that you can always file your complaints with the NCAA, and it will be dealt with. On our part, we will ensure to see the end of it and that there is fairness on every side.”

In a related development, Achimugu, in a post on X on Tuesday, called on passengers who were on the flight to come forward with their accounts of the incident.

“Any person who was a passenger on that flight and witnessed the events that led to the fracas should, as a matter of urgency and fairness, reach out to me via DM or email at [email protected],” he wrote.

“Once verified that you were actually a passenger, we can discuss and understand other perspectives to this issue. In the interest of justice, it’s necessary to hear both sides of the story. Of course, this does not negate the exhibition of unruly behaviour and its ramifications, but it will ensure that every other person who was culpable down the line is held accountable.”

Achimugu added that NCAA officers in Lagos will conduct a fact-finding mission, engaging with the police and other security personnel who handled the matter.

He stressed that the incident offers valuable lessons for all stakeholders – passengers, airline staff, and aviation security – to identify gaps and close loopholes in the system.

“It is a test for the system. No matter how fine regulations are, human behaviour will always be unpredictable. When these events occur, we are able to see the gaps and pluck loopholes.”