Fresh details have emerged on why the Federal Government backtracked on its earlier decision to punish popular Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, aka KWAM 1, and a passenger on the Akwa Ibom-owned airline, Ms. Comfort Emmason, for misconduct.

Findings showed that KWAM 1 was compelled to apologise as part of conditions for intervention from the ‘powers that be’, just as the government withdrew charges against Emmason after reviewing the roles of the airline in the saga and the threats of multiple suits.

Hasty trial

On August 10, Emmason was removed from a flight from Lagos to Uyo after allegedly refusing to turn off her phone as instructed by crew members.

The situation escalated when she became physically aggressive, struck a flight attendant, and had to be restrained and escorted off the aircraft at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

Following that, Ibom Air imposed a lifetime ban on her from both local and international flights, citing its zero-tolerance policy toward violent or disruptive behaviour.

She was also arraigned and remanded in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.

Ayinde, on August 5, caused a disruption at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, when he attempted to board a ValueJet flight carrying a flask containing liquid beyond the permissible size.

When staff asked him to surrender it, he allegedly refused, poured its contents on the crew and security personnel, and then moved onto the tarmac to obstruct the aircraft from taxiing and delaying the flight’s safe operation.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the matter.

Ayinde was also placed on a six-month flight ban.

But Emmason’s prosecution for a criminal offence sparked outrage as a section of the public accused the government of bias, saying it failed to prosecute Ayinde, who allegedly committed a more grievous offence.

However, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, announced on Wednesday that the government had directed the withdrawal of criminal complaints against Emmason and Ayinde.

Keyamo also said the government had told the NCAA to name Ayinde as an ambassador for airport security protocols.

The minister’s announcement was also greeted with mixed reactions, as some members of the public believe that the Federal Government pardoned Emmason in a bid to protect Ayinde, a well-known loyalist of President Bola Tinubu, from prosecution.

Saving airlines from suit

Insiders knowledgeable about the case told Saturday PUNCH that the government and the airline authorities needed to reach a compromise, de-escalate the matters, and save many of the individuals involved from prosecution and potential court cases.

According to a source, who is a top security officer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the airlines involved in the two cases were also not interested in pursuing their individual cases against Ayinde and Emmason having realised that the two passengers had “strong cases” against them if allowed to go to court.

He said, “The truth of the matter is that the aviation security, airline security, and the pilot, and all parties involved in Wasiu Ayinde’s case were at fault. The same thing with the Ibom Air case involving the lady who was stripped half-naked.

“I am aware that lawyers and stakeholders in the airlines and the aviation authorities reviewed the cases and opted for alternative conflict resolution to avoid lawsuits and counter-lawsuits. The Minister of Aviation was sincere in his statement when he said the decision was on compassionate grounds.”

Ayinde’s apology

Other insiders at the Ministry of Aviation told Saturday PUNCH that the reason for the reversal of what they called “hasty and harsh” decisions by both the government and the airlines was because preliminary investigations available to the government had shown that the airline was also culpable for the chaos at the airport in Emmason’s case.

“The soft landing or compromise is actually in favour of the airline in the case of Emmason. Everything was about protecting them from potential huge loss that would arise from any suit filed by the passenger,” said an insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity as she was not empowered to speak on the matter.

Another source, a top official at the ministry, told one of our correspondents that there were interventions from the ‘powers that be’ in Ayinde’s case, though the minister insisted on doing the right thing.

The source said, “The powers that be compelled KWAM 1 to apologise as a condition for intervening in the matter. They felt embarrassed about his attitude.

“After his apology, the industry was already speaking about Emmason, while still planning what to do about KWAM 1. The lady’s case became the talk of the town, especially after she was hastily remanded without hearing from her.

“The blowback from that action forced the hands of the government to find a general amicable solution to the matter.

“The resolution we all heard was a face-saving measure for both the government’s hasty and harsh decision on Emmason and also to find a soft landing for the musician, who is a friend to powerful people in government.”

Who filmed Emmason half-naked?

Many Nigerians were enraged after video clips of Emmason being dragged from the airplane half-naked went viral.

Ibom Air denied that any of its staff recorded or released the dehumanising clip to the public as Keyamo slammed the release of the clip.

Independent review of the clips making the rounds on social media showed that only an airport official could have made the recording and released the graphic clips to the public.

For instance, a 28-second clip showed calls to “drag her out” as three men, joined by the Ibom Air hostess, identified as Juliana Edward, pulled an unwilling Emmason out.

The person behind the recording, a female, could be heard responding on a walkie-talkie that “there is a situation here, standby”.

Emmason’s clothes also appeared to have been pulled up by an official, before her bosom was exposed.

Her lawyer,  Adefunke Maria, alleged that the air hostess “wilfully ripped-off” her blouse while security men manhandled her.

Also, a five minute, 20 seconds clip revealed that only officials of Ibom Air, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria and security agents were around the scene of the incident.

Most of them wore reflective jackets.

For a second time, the person behind the video could be seen with her walkie-talkie, which was clearly visible in the first few seconds of the clip.

A member of the team could also be heard confirming that an official was already making a recording of the violent acts of the passenger, while urging the colleagues to be mindful of their action on camera.

Co-passenger shares experience 

An eyewitness on the flight, Ogebe David, stated that the female passenger was unjustly humiliated.

The lawyer, who presented his flight ticket to prove that he witnessed the incidents in-flight, stated that the flight attendant provoked the situation through what he described as unprofessional conduct.

“It is important to state that prior to meeting Miss Emmason on the aircraft by pure happenstance, I had never met her before. She is a complete stranger to me.  In the same vein, I have never met any of the Ibom Air hostesses before Friday, to the best of my knowledge,” David told Channels TV.

He described what he characterised as a pattern of unjust treatment toward the female passenger.

His account contradicted early suggestions that the altercation was solely due to the unruly behaviour of the passenger.

“I am only speaking out now out of a moral duty and civic responsibility to speak the truth, so that everyone, whether highly placed or not, highly connected or not, can be treated fairly and justly in all circumstances,” he added.

Despite defending Emmason’s right to be treated respectfully, David condemned her outbursts in the videos circulating on social media.

I’ve forgiven everyone, says Emmason

Emmason on Friday took to her Facebook page to share in detail how she was allegedly harassed and intimidated on the flight.

She said she had no intention of being unruly, adding that she was insulted by the air hostess.

She lamented that she was dragged like a criminal after the incident degenerated.

The Facebook post, made around 6pm, read, “I boarded the flight peacefully like every other passenger, with no intention of disturbing anyone. I took my seat and waited for take-off.

“While we were still on the ground, the cabin crew started the normal safety checks, and that was when I was asked to switch off my phone.

“I politely explained that my phone had a faulty power button, and because of that I normally let the battery run down or use airplane mode instead. I also told the air hostess that if she could assist me, I would gladly hand over the phone for her to switch it off herself.”

Emmason said the first hostess who spoke to her was polite and understanding, adding that the second flight attendant spoke in a disrespectful tone.

The female passenger said, “She said, ‘I don’t have time for your excuses. Just switch it off.’ I calmly tried to explain again, but she cut me short and said, ‘If you don’t want trouble, you had better obey.’

“At that point, some passengers sitting close to me even intervened, and one of them helped me switch the phone off completely.

“Even after the phone was switched off, the same air hostess continued looking at me in a very aggressive way, almost as if she wanted a fight. I kept quiet because I didn’t want any trouble.”

Emmason noted that throughout the flight, she remained on her seat and did not disturb anyone.

She said, “I didn’t raise my voice, and I didn’t abuse or threaten any staff. Even the hostess who treated me harshly never came to apologise — she just kept watching me from afar.

“When we landed, everybody began to disembark. I waited for others to go first. As I was stepping out, that same hostess confronted me again and started saying things like: ‘You think you can threaten people here and go free. Wait, we will show you.’

“At that moment, I felt intimidated and embarrassed in front of other passengers. I asked her, ‘Madam, what exactly did I do to you?’ Instead of answering, she raised her hand as if she wanted to touch me again. I instinctively defended myself and told her not to harass me.

“Before I knew what was happening, they had already called security and labelled me as an ‘unruly passenger.’

“I begged them to at least watch the videos on the passengers’ phones so they would know the truth — but nobody listened. I was dragged off the aircraft like a criminal, still begging them to hear me out.

“At the airport police station, one of the managers from Ibom Air arrived and presented a completely different story, claiming that I assaulted their staff and threatened the safety of the flight. I immediately denied this and asked again for them to watch the videos, but my voice was ignored.

“Instead, I was moved straight to detention and eventually taken to Kirikiri, even though I kept insisting I was innocent.

“Everything I went through started from a faulty phone power button and a hostess who chose to abuse her authority instead of simply helping a passenger.

“I have forgiven everyone involved — but I felt it was important to finally share the truth of what happened, because a lot of people still don’t know my side.

“To everyone who stood up for me when I couldn’t speak, to everyone who prayed and fought for my freedom — thank you. God bless you all.”

‘No romance behind 500,000 job’

Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the Delta State Governor on Media, Success Ossai, explained why he offered a N500,000 monthly salary job to Emmason.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Ossai announced that a monthly salary of N500,000 had been secured for the female passenger in the state.

The package, according to Ossai, also includes flight tickets, accommodation in a five-star hotel, a guided tour, and a ticket to the Delta Social Media Summit scheduled for August 28 in Asaba.

Ossai said the summit would enable her to interact with others, share her experience, and inspire people to avoid negative conduct.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the governor’s aide clarified that the gesture was not from the state government but a personal decision to help Emmason reintegrate into society.

While dismissing speculations of having a romantic interest in her, he said,  “I’m a married man and a faithful man. I can never get myself involved with such a thing. I am just offering harmless assistance to her.

“The gesture shown to the passenger wasn’t from the state government. It’s my personal gesture. She has shown remorse for what she did. Whatever has happened has happened. She went to Kirikiri prison and came back. It is time to support her as well.”

Reacting to criticisms that his offer could encourage unruly behaviour among air passengers, Ossai disagreed, citing global examples of rehabilitating offenders into advocates of good conduct.

Asked why he extended the offer despite Emmason not being from Delta State, Ossai said, “In Delta State, we don’t discriminate. We offer help to people, whether you are from Delta State or not. We are first Nigerians before anything else.”

He noted that his expectation was for Emmason to become disciplined, self-reliant, and a job creator.

Lawyer files N500bn suit

Meanwhile, a public interest lawyer, Ayodele Ademiluyi, has instituted a N500bn suit against the Federal Government, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and other parties at the Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing them of grossly violating the rule of law in the handling of the two aviation incidents.

The case, marked FHC/L/CS/1632/25, named as respondents: the President of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo (SAN), NCAA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Ibom Air, ValueJet, the Nigerian Correctional Service, King Wasiu Ayinde, the Nigerian Police Force, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the state’s Attorney-General, and the Airline Operators of Nigeria.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Ademiluyi, who also serves as convener of the Movement for Justice and Secretary of the Radical Gender Movement, said the legal action was aimed at defending public interest and holding aviation stakeholders accountable.

According to him, the dispute goes beyond the individuals involved, exposing deeper institutional weaknesses.

The lawyer faulted the disparate treatment given to both cases, alleging that KWAM 1 faced no legal repercussions, while Emmason was subjected to swift punitive action.

“Our aviation system needs a complete overhauling. We cannot allow impunity to reign or degenerate into a banana republic where someone can stop a plane with their bare hands and walk away without consequence. It’s a gross imbalance. There was no arrest, no arraignment, no prosecution of Mr. KWAM 1.

“In fact, he was rewarded with a brand ambassadorship for the aviation sector. What message does that send to the public?”he stated.

Ademiluyi insisted that rewarding the musician with an ambassadorial role was inappropriate.

“If someone can stop a plane with their bare hands and be appointed a brand ambassador, it sends the wrong signal,” he said.

He also accused the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Keyamo, of taking sides.

The lawyer criticised the Airline Operators of Nigeria’s handling of the Emmason matter, describing their role as overreaching, saying, “The central issue remains: Mr. Kwam 1 is walking the streets free. That is a big slap on the rule of law. The suit we have filed is a public interest action. The collective interest of the polity is at stake,” he said.

Ademiluyi urged the court to use the matter as a landmark opportunity to affirm that no individual, regardless of prominence, is beyond legal accountability.

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