By Abiola Olawale
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the unauthorized release of a video exposing the sensitive body parts of an Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, involved in a incident aboard a flight on Sunday.
Describing the act as “totally unacceptable,” Keyamo has ordered severe sanctions against the staff responsible for the leak, emphasizing that such actions debase womanhood and will not be tolerated.
The incident, which gained widespread attention through viral videos, involved one Emmanson allegedly displaying unruly behavior on an Ibom Air flight.
While the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has imposed an indefinite flight ban on her, both domestically and internationally, and she was arraigned at the Ikeja Magistrates Court on criminal charges, the minister’s focus has shifted to the unethical dissemination of footage showing her indecent exposure.
In a statement released on Monday, Keyamo expressed dismay over the public release of the video, which he said was intended to ridicule the passenger.
Keyamo said: “Whilst we support the filming of her recalcitrant behaviour as evidence to prosecute her, what is deplorable is to release such evidence containing indecent exposure to the public to ridicule her.
“That is unacceptable to us. We will not fold our arms and tolerate the debasing of womanhood.
“I have therefore directed that whoever released that part of the video containing the indecent exposure amongst the staff should be singled out and adequately sanctioned.”
The minister also directed airlines to train and retrain their staff in public relations and handling of volatile situations, adding that a joint security meeting between relevant agencies would be held next week for better coordination of aviation security.
