Amid criticism over the arraignment and remand of Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, against Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, popularly called KWAM1, the Federal Government through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed that the suit emanated from the airline operator and not from the government.
The government stated that its agency, NCAA, only intervenes where necessary and within its mandate, saying we cannot act outside the law.
This was stated hours after the former presidential candidatee, Peter Obi, and other Nigerians alleged that the apex government adopted double standards in application of the rule of law across the country.
This clarification was made by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Mike Achimugu, while responding to questions on a popular television programme on Tuesday, stressing the agency’s role in two recent passenger incidents.
Achimugu said: “The airline [in the singer’s case]did not activate its right to take the passenger to court. As a result, the NCAA petitioned relevant authorities to prosecute the passenger, issuing an advisory to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to have the passenger banned”.
However, in the Ibom Air case, where a passenger assaulted the airline’s staff member, he explained that the carrier immediately exercised its right to take up the matter in court.
“Maybe because their staff had been assaulted, the airline immediately activated its right to take up the matter, and it went to court, so the NCAA is not involved in the case of the Ibom Air passenger,” he said.
Achimugu stressed that both cases highlight that the aviation system is being tested and that “there’s enough blame to go around FAAN, AVSEC, cabin crew, passengers.”
The NCAA director noted that, “Unruly behaviour is not acceptable anywhere in the world, no matter the confrontation. The regulations are not sentiment-based; those rules are there for the safety of every passenger”.
According to him, passengers must always obey cabin crew instructions while on board.
In the Ibom Air case, he noted that other passengers on the aircraft were said to have seized the passenger’s phone and turned it off during the confrontation.
