Olayiwola Matthew
There was drama at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday as a passenger on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos allegedly assaulted an air hostess and got violent with officials of the airport.
In a video posted online by an X user, @OHOgunbiyi, the lady who was dressed in a white top and black pant was seen slapping the hostess during a heated argument on the plane.
Also, another hostess who witnessed the incident said the passenger gave the distressed hostess “serious slaps”.
In the video, the passenger also fought with some airport officials who tried to calm her, throwing objects like her slippers, wig and handbag at the officials.
Five officials, four men and a lady came together to forcefully carry the passenger into a waiting coaster bus to avoid further confrontations.
Posting the video, @OHOgunbiyi captioned it, “Another day, another drama at the Airport between a passenger onboard @ibomairlines and the AVSEC at the Lagos Airport today. The passenger was on the Uyo to Lagos flight today. E don dey shele.”
The incident caught the attention of the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, who faulted the passenger in a post he made on X late Sunday night.
Achimugu revealed that the incident was a result of the passenger’s failure to adhere to instructions, cautioned against ignoring crew directives.
He said, “When cabin crew ask you to turn off your phone before takeoff/landing, simply comply. I can’t understand why simple routine issues would lead to incidents like this. Passengers need to understand that they have responsibilities, not just rights. Will address this after more details become clearer by tomorrow.”