The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed that a verified eyewitness will testify in its investigation into the altercation between passenger Comfort Emmanson and an Ibom Air crew member on the August 10 Uyo–Lagos flight.
NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, announced the development on Wednesday via X.com. The update followed his earlier public appeal for passengers on the flight to provide credible accounts “in the interest of justice and fairness.”
According to Achimugu, the witness was seated directly beside Emmanson, presented a boarding pass for verification, and gave a detailed account that introduced “other perspectives” on the events before take-off, including the conduct of other parties and how passengers were handled.
“The passenger seated right next to the lady in the viral videos has contacted me (also sent in his boarding pass) and given his account of the events that transpired on the aircraft before departure,” Achimugu wrote. “Some aspects of his testimony offer an opportunity to look at other perspectives of this case, especially the behaviour of other actors involved and the manner of passenger handling before the flight took off.”
He said the witness would release a personal statement later in the day, adding that the NCAA had issued a Letter of Investigation to Ibom Air and would invite the airline, along with other eyewitnesses, to a meeting.
Achimugu welcomed the testimony, stressing that it validated the NCAA’s decision not to rely on unverified social media narratives. “There is a lot to unbundle, and we will get to the root of it. Rest assured that every culpable party in this case will be held accountable,” he said.
He reaffirmed the NCAA’s and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo’s commitment to protecting the rights of aviation stakeholders, noting that findings from the probe would help identify gaps and improve conflict resolution processes in the sector.
