Public interest lawyer Ayodele Ademiluyi has filed a N500 billion lawsuit against the Federal Government, aviation regulators, and several other parties over what he described as a breach of the rule of law in the handling of two aviation-related incidents involving musician King Wasiu Ayinde and passenger Comfort Emmanson.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos under the case number FHC/L/CS/1632/25, names as respondents the President of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo (SAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Ibom Air, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, ValueJet, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Nigerian Police Force, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the state’s Attorney General, and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).
Ademiluyi, who is also convener of the Movement for Justice and secretary of the Radical Gender Movement of the Nigerian Bar Association, told journalists in Lagos on Thursday that the action seeks accountability over what he termed the unequal treatment of the two individuals. He criticised the decision to appoint King Wasiu as an aviation brand ambassador despite allegations that he disrupted a flight, while Ms. Emmanson was arrested and detained over alleged unruly conduct on an Ibom Air flight.
“The collective interest of the polity is at stake,” Ademiluyi said, accusing authorities of failing to arrest or prosecute Wasiu while acting swiftly against Emmanson. He is also seeking an order of mandamus compelling enforcement actions against the musician and other respondents.
Meanwhile, the Airline Operators of Nigeria announced on Thursday that it had lifted the lifetime flight ban imposed on Emmanson. She was accused of unruly behaviour on Ibom Air flight QI 513 from Uyo to Lagos on August 10, which led to her arrest and detention. The federal government later withdrew the charges, securing her release on Wednesday.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, the AON said the ban was lifted following interventions by the aviation minister and in line with the government’s pledge to take aviation safety and security more seriously. The group also promised to work with aviation agencies to run sensitisation campaigns against unruly passenger behaviour, as outlined in the Civil Aviation Act, 2022, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, 2023.
The AON reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward disruptive conduct on flights and in terminals, urging passengers to follow proper complaint channels and reminding them that offences such as assaulting crew, disobeying safety instructions, smoking onboard, or tampering with aircraft equipment carry penalties including fines, imprisonment, or both.
