The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced the withdrawal of a criminal complaint against Ms. Comfort Emmanson and other conciliatory measures in recent high-profile aviation disputes, citing compassion and lessons learned.
In a statement on Wednesday, Keyamo said consultations over the past 48 hours with key aviation stakeholders and parties involved in “unfortunate incidents regarding the unruly behaviours of certain individuals at our airports” had led to a decision to resolve the matters amicably.
“Though regrettable, we think valuable lessons have been learnt by all sides to these incidents,” he noted, adding that the episodes had “undoubtedly helped to raise public awareness about appropriate conduct within the aviation space.”
On the case of Ms. Emmanson, accused of unruly conduct aboard an Ibom Air flight on August 10, the minister disclosed that Ibom Air had agreed to withdraw its complaint after she “exhibited great remorse for her conduct” during a police interview in the presence of her lawyer.
Keyamo added that the Police would “take the remaining steps to facilitate her release from Kirikiri Prisons within this week,” and that the Airline Operators of Nigeria had accepted his appeal to lift her lifetime flying ban.
Similarly, in the case involving music icon Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, popularly known as KWAM 1, Keyamo said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would reduce his flight ban to one month and withdraw its criminal complaint.
“FAAN will also work with the music star with a view to engaging him as an ambassador for proper airport security protocol going forward,” he revealed.
The NCAA will also restore the licenses of ValueJet’s Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba after a one-month suspension, following mandatory professional re-appraisal.
Keyamo further directed all relevant aviation agencies to begin a retreat next week, in collaboration with other government bodies, to retrain security personnel on handling disruptive passengers and de-escalating potentially explosive situations.
Airlines, he said, would also hold sessions focusing on “the conduct and attitude of their staff towards members of the travelling public.”
The minister stressed that the decisions were taken “purely on compassionate grounds” and not as a concession to “base sentiments, politically-motivated views or warped legal opinions.”
He warned, however, that the government was drawing a line after these acts of clemency, declaring: “We take safety and security in the aviation sector very seriously.”