Vice President of the Human Rights Watch Foundation (HRWF), Nigeria, Tijjani Sarki, has condemned what he described as the “inhumane treatment, public humiliation, and unlawful detention” of Ms. Comfort Emmanson after an incident aboard Ibom Air flight Q9 303 on August 10, 2025.
In a statement made available to Stallion Times on Tuesday, Sarki said the episode, which should have been a routine enforcement of flight protocol, had instead become “a glaring example of systemic abuse, deliberate dehumanization, and a disgraceful breach of fundamental human rights.”
He called for urgent action to hold those responsible accountable, warning that such incidents erode public trust and violate both national and international human rights standards.
Other parts of the statement read:
From passenger to prey: The shameful descent into abuse
Eyewitness accounts and video evidence confirm that Ms. Emmanson remained calm during the initial confrontation regarding her mobile phone.
Yet, following the flight’s landing, she was subjected to a violent and disproportionate response by both Ibom Air Staff and Airport Security personnel.
She was dragged across the tarmac like a convicted criminal, bundled into a waiting vehicle, and publicly stripped of her dignity. During this process, her shirt was torn, leaving parts of her body exposed.
Worse still, someone deliberately filmed her in this vulnerable state, and the footage was leaked online a calculated, inexcusable, and criminal violation of her right to privacy, safety, and bodily autonomy.
Even Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the internationally condemned underwear bomber, was not treated with such reckless inhumanity.
Ibom Air Security: Unprofessional, Untrained, Unaccountable
We reject Ibom Air’s public statement hailing its crew for “professionalism.” The evidence clearly shows the opposite, a gross abuse of power, a complete lack of crisis de-escalation skills, and a willful disregard for the human dignity of a Nigerian citizen.
There is no professionalism in:
i. Tearing a woman’s clothes during an arrest,
ii. Filming her exposed body, or
iii. Leaking the footage to the public in violation of privacy laws and decency.
These are not accidents. They are deliberate actions by individuals who must now face criminal prosecution.
Kirikiri: Where dignity is buried
Ms. Emmanson has now been remanded at Kirikiri Correctional Facility, despite not being convicted of any crime. This is a notorious prison meant for the most hardened criminals not a young woman accused of a non-lethal altercation on a commercial flight.
The selective justice system that jails a woman for allegedly slapping a crew member, while politicians accused of looting public funds roam free, is broken. It is a gendered injustice and a reflection of deep-rooted societal rot.
Our demands: Immediate action and accountability
We call on all relevant authorities, including the Federal Government, Ministry of Aviation, NCAA, and FAAN, to take immediate action. The Human Rights Watch Foundation demands:
- The immediate release of Comfort Emmansin on bail pending full legal proceedings.
- The arrest and Prosecution of those who filmed and leaked her footage. in line with data protection and criminal laws.
- A Full independent panel to Investigate Ibom Air Staff and Airport Security, and public disclosure of the findings.
- Public Apoligies from Ibom Air and FAAN to Ms. Emmanson and her family.
- A Sweeping review of Aviation Protocols to Ensure that Human rights are never Compromised again.
Final Statement: Never again
Comfort Emmanson is not a criminal. She is a victim of institutional cruelty, poor training, and a failed justice system. She has become the face of Nigeria’s war on the vulnerable and we refuse to stay silent.
Justice delayed is injustice multiplied. Justice now is complicity forever.
We will pursue this matter relentlessly until justice is not just promised but delivered.
