Statement on the Inhumane Treatment of Ms. Comfort Emmanson by Ibom Air and Nigerian Security Officials
The detention, forceful removal, humiliation, stripping naked, and subsequent remand of Ms. Comfort Emmanson by officials of Ibom Air and Nigerian security agencies represents yet another chapter in the ongoing war against the poor in our country.
When Senator Adams Oshiomhole once obstructed operations at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos, he was rewarded with an apology and a special aircraft to convey him to Abuja. Similarly, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1) disrupted flight operations by splashing liquid on a female captain and blocking a ValueJet aircraft from taxiing. His actions were met with nothing more than an apology to the President and Nigerians.
Yet, in the case of Ms. Comfort Emmanson, her alleged failure to comply with cabin crew instructions to switch off her phone was met with excessive force and degrading treatment. Upon arrival in Lagos, she was unlawfully detained by Ibom Air hostesses, forcefully evacuated like human cargo, stripped naked, humiliated under video recording, and speedily charged to court, only to be remanded in Kirikiri prison.
Such barbaric treatment could only happen to an ordinary Nigerian without political power, social influence, or family connections. If Ms. Emmanson were the daughter of a prominent figure, she would never have been subjected to such cruelty.
This reckless abuse of power cannot be allowed to slide. The perpetrators must be held accountable for these violations of her dignity and fundamental human rights. We demand the immediate release of Ms. Comfort Emmanson, the payment of adequate compensation by Ibom Air for the assault and humiliation she suffered, and a public apology published in at least two national newspapers.
Justice for Ms. Comfort Emmanson is justice for every poor and voiceless Nigerian.
