An Ikeja Magistrate’s Court in Ogba, Lagos, on Wednesday discharged Comfort Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger accused of unruly behaviour and assault aboard a domestic flight, after prosecutors formally withdrew all charges against her.
Magistrate Olanrewaju Salami struck out the five-count charge against Emmanson after the police prosecution team withdrew the case. At the resumed hearing, prosecutor Oluwabunmi Adeitan informed the court of new developments that necessitated the withdrawal. She subsequently tendered an application for the case to be withdrawn, which the court admitted, formally discharging Emmanson of all charges.
The withdrawal followed intervention by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and key aviation stakeholders, who cited Emmanson’s remorse and appeals from concerned Nigerians. The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has also lifted the lifetime flight ban previously imposed on her.
Emmanson’s legal troubles began on August 10, during an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, when she was accused of causing a disturbance and assaulting a crew member. She was arraigned on August 11 and granted N500,000 bail with two sureties in like sum but was remanded at Kirikiri Prison after failing to meet the conditions.
Prosecutors said that “new facts” emerged during the police investigation, prompting the Federal Government’s decision to drop the case. Her lawyer, Adams Otakpe, did not oppose the withdrawal.