Citizen Comfort Emmanson And The Ibom Air Show Of Shame -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

Sometimes I get amused when I hear people complain that Nigerians abroad are not well treated by their hosts when we do not treat ourselves with respect; when on daily basis we dehumanize our fellow citizens with impunity and get away with it. And if not how can an airline that operate public service publicly abuse and abase a client of theirs that used their services? How could an airline staff publicly disgrace a lady onboard their aircraft, strip her naked and post the image on the internet for the world to see without the consent of their client. This cannot be done a civilized environment without consequences. And to add salt to the injury, the abused victim is being remanded in prison custody after the abuse of her fundamental human rights. It is unfortunate in the extreme. The whole Ibom Air saga shows whom we are and the value we attach to human life and dignity. As I watched the video footage of the incidence, I felt outraged. It was a show of shame.

I am not holding brief for the estranged girl, Comfort Emmanson, but whatever be the case, she does not deserve to be treated the way she was treated like a common criminal. She is not a thief neither is she a terrorist or a kidnapper but an ordinary citizen on her private business. The girl in question may have issues, attitude problem or be emotionally unstable but that will not warrant dehumanizing her the way the airline staff did. An airline as a business organization that attend to people of diverse nature and unique characteristics should have trained officers that should handle situations of this kind without public opprobrium.  The conduct of the Ibom Air staff in the whole of this saga is questionable and unacceptable. And unfortunately, the management of the erring airline has not issued any public statement condemning the barbaric conduct of its staff.

Worse still is the hasty decision of the airline operators on the embattled girl as it was reported that a flight ban has been placed on her for the unfortunate incidence. This implies that they have on their own tried her and found her guilty without going through the court processes. The implication of all of these is that the airline staff will be emboldened to be nasty to their clients. One of my colleagues once told me that the major problem of Nigerian business is not limited access to funding but lack of consideration to client service.

Equally unfortunate is the statement credited to Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation, that the allegation of unruly behavior and other charges clamped on the said girl is being dropped on compassionate ground. By this statement, the minister who was once known as a human rights lawyer has justified the violation of the rights of this girl who was manhandled by the officials of the Ibom Air. Yes, security is very important in the aviation sector as it is for every sector. But looking at the girl, she does not seem to present any security threat. Why would able bodied men be dragging an unarmed along the aircraft staircase and then stripping her naked in the process. I wonder why the popular Lagos musician Kwam 1 whose conduct posed greater security challenge was not charged but was named Aviation Security Ambassador after the airport incident by the federal government while the pilots involved in the matter got suspended for their role. Also, I have not read any statement of reprimand or condemnation for this hideous act either from the minister or the airline operators. Before the incident, there was a video footage showing where the girl was appealing to one of the air hostess who was blocking her from exiting the plane to allow her to disembark only for her to dragged down like a criminal minutes later. And I think that there is something in the whole Ibom Air saga that has not been made public.

On this note, I would want the relevant authorities, the Ministry of Women Affairs, the National Council of Women Society (NCWS), the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) and the rights activists to step into this matter. A recommend a thorough investigation into the matter to that justice is done and whoever is found culpable to should be sanctioned to act as a deterrent to others who take delight in abusing the rights of others. It is only in this country that public officers and security operatives abuse and attack fellow citizens with impunity and get away with it. This ugly trend must stop. And it can only be when we up and insist that the right things must be done at all times.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed 

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK