On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced that Ibom Air has withdrawn its criminal complaint against Ms. Comfort Emmanson, facilitating her release from Kirikiri Prison this week, following her arrest for alleged unruly behavior on an August 10, 2025, Uyo-Lagos flight, as reported by Vanguard and Punch. Keyamo also revealed that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will reduce the one-year flight ban on Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde (KWAM 1) to one month, after his altercation with ValueJet staff, and withdraw its criminal complaint, per Hallmark News. The decisions follow consultations with aviation stakeholders, with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) lifting Emmanson’s lifetime flight ban, citing her “great remorse” during police questioning.
The NCAA will reinstate the licenses of ValueJet pilots Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba after a one-month suspension and professional reappraisal, while the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) will engage KWAM 1 as an ambassador for airport security protocols, per Daily Post. Keyamo stressed shared culpability between passengers and airline staff, announcing a retreat next week to train personnel on conflict de-escalation and a review of airline staff conduct. The minister emphasized that these clemencies, granted on compassionate grounds, mark a firm stance on aviation safety, with Nigeria recording 1,200 unruly passenger incidents in 2024, per NCAA data. X posts from @nifemioguntoye and @whitenigerian (August 13, 2025) praised the resolutions but questioned perceived leniency toward KWAM 1, reflecting mixed public sentiment.
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