Real estate consultant Comfort Emmanson has finally shared her side of the story, days after she was released from custody following her dramatic removal from an Ibom Air flight on August 10.
In a video posted online on Saturday, Emmanson thanked Nigerians who stood by her during the episode.
“I want to appreciate everyone who fought for me when I was in prison. The love and support I saw when I came out, I never expected it. For a commoner like me, you guys stood by me. God Almighty will bless you,” she said.
She explained that the issue started on board the flight from Oyo to Lagos when a flight attendant, identified as Juliana, confronted her over her phone. According to her, one of the phones had a faulty power button, but a fellow passenger later helped her switch it off.
“I never refused to get off the phone. I only told her that my power button was bad and I needed assistance, which she refused. The passenger sitting next to me helped me, and I eventually turned both phones off,” she said.
Emmanson said that when the plane landed in Lagos, the same attendant prevented her from disembarking. She claimed the attendant dragged her by her hairpiece, tore her clothes, and pulled off her necklace.
“She dragged my frontal, my gold chain, and in the process, my phone fell and broke. The pain of having my frontal yanked off was unbearable. That was when I poked her out of anger,” she recounted tearfully.
She added that she was manhandled by several airline staff as passengers recorded videos of her with her clothes torn.
“They videoed me with my body out there. Some people have even turned it into stickers. I can’t even go out again because people already know me. Imagine me trying to sell a house, and clients have seen that video. How do I face them?” she said.
Emmanson noted that she delayed speaking publicly because she was receiving treatment.
“I’m not a troubled person, I’m not a nuisance. People who know me in real life know the kind of person I am. I just never expected that offering to switch off my phone would escalate like this,” she said.
Her ordeal began on August 10 when Ibom Air accused her of refusing to switch off her phone. She was later banned for life by the airline and arraigned on five charges before being remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
An Ikeja Magistrate’s Court discharged her on Wednesday after the police withdrew the charges.
