Ogona Anita
The Centre for Justice, Empowerment & Development ((C4J) have condemned in strong terms the incident that led to staff of an airline company, Ibom Air, stripping a lady nude, videoing it and disseminating the video on social Media.
The organization which also condemned the airline managers for dishing half-truth to Nigerians, condemned the hasty arraignment and remand of Ms. Comfort Emmanson in Kirikiri Maximum prison without a proper investigation into the matter.
In our view, while we are not happy with the lady’s physical attack on the air hostess as seen in the video now circulating, we view the reaction of staff of the airline as a clear show of unprofessionalism, lacking in manners and adequate training to serve members of the public.
C4J in a statement issued in reaction to the incident and signed by its Head of Communication and Public Englighment, Queeneth Igbara, said the situation would have been handled in a more professional manner, than the suspected stripping of the passenger naked and filming her breast to circulate on social media, in violation of not just the passengers right to fair hearing, but violating the provisions of the cybercrimes act, the VAPP Act, and the Data Protection Act, LFN.
Igbara called on the NCAA and other relevant agencies to move in and conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the matter, and ensuring appropriate sanctions to the airline staff
‘ What the Ibom Air staff has done is just an exposure of the fact that if the plane was airborne, they wouldn’t have minded even if it crashed just because they wanted to punish a passenger for behaving against the rules ‘.
She stressed that a related incident caused the Value Jet drama, and now this is happening, maintaining that public service workers must be tolerant in all circumstances.
Queeneth Igbara
Head, Communication/Public Enlightenment
