Comfort Emmanson has broken her silence days after regaining freedom, narrating her version of events that led to her dramatic removal from an Ibom Air flight on August 10 and the subsequent legal battle that followed.
In a video shared online, Emmanson thanked Nigerians who rallied behind her during her detention. “The love and support I saw when I came out, I never expected it.
“For a commoner like me, you stood by me. God bless you,” she said tearfully.
Recounting the incident, the real estate consultant explained that trouble began after a flight attendant, identified as Juliana, asked her to switch off her phone before takeoff.
She said one of her phones had a damaged power button, and although she sought assistance, the attendant allegedly refused to help. A fellow passenger eventually turned it off for her.
Emmanson claimed that upon landing in Lagos, the same attendant prevented her from disembarking, sparking a confrontation.
According to her, the attendant dragged her by her hairpiece, tore her clothes, and yanked off her gold chain.
“The pain was unbearable. That was when I poked her out of anger,” she admitted.
She said she was eventually pulled out of the aircraft by several staff members while passengers recorded the scene, leaving her humiliated.
“They videoed me with my body exposed. Some people have even turned it into stickers. How do I face clients as a realtor after that?” she lamented.
Emmanson disclosed that she delayed speaking publicly because she had been receiving medical treatment and trying to recover from the trauma.
“I’m not a nuisance. People who know me in real life know my true character.
“I just never expected that offering to switch off my phone would escalate like this,” she said.
Her ordeal sparked national debate after Ibom Air announced a lifetime ban on her, and she was arraigned on five charges that led to her remand at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
However, an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court discharged her last Wednesday following the withdrawal of charges by the police.