By Abdul Lauya
A fresh storm is brewing in Nigeria’s aviation sector as Comfort Emmanson, a passenger of Ibom Air, has filed a ₦500 billion lawsuit against the Federal Government, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Ibom Air, and several others over alleged impunity and double standards.
The suit, marked FHC/L/CS/1632/25, was filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, by her lawyer, public-interest advocate Ayodele Ademiluyi.
The wide net of defendants includes the President of Nigeria, Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo, FAAN, ValueJet, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Correctional Service, the Governor and Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, and Fuji icon Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as Kwam 1.
At the heart of the case is what the plaintiff describes as selective justice. While Emmanson was swiftly sanctioned over an alleged in-flight altercation, Kwam 1, linked to a separate aviation incident, escaped punishment and was later unveiled as a brand ambassador.
Ademiluyi argues this represents not just unfair treatment of his client but a “flagrant violation of the rule of law and institutional integrity.”
Eye Reporters recalls that Nigeria’s aviation sector has long faced accusations of selective enforcement.
In 2013, the NCAA quietly procured bulletproof BMW cars under controversial circumstances, yet no official faced sanction. In 2019, airlines flouted safety directives on ageing aircraft with little consequence.
And in 2022, when a senior political figure allegedly disrupted boarding at Abuja Airport, the matter disappeared, unlike ordinary passengers who have faced immediate bans for far less.
Analysts told Eye Reporters that the ₦500 billion claim, though enormous, is meant to highlight systemic bias rather than financial gain.
“This is really about testing whether Nigerian regulators and courts can confront the culture of impunity.
“If Comfort wins, it will be a watershed moment for accountability in the aviation industry”, an Abuja-based legal analyst told Eye Reporters.
Neither the Federal Government, Ibom Air, nor the NCAA had commented publicly as at press time. But aviation stakeholders warn that the controversy, if not managed transparently, risks further damaging public trust in a sector already plagued by safety concerns, delays, and governance inefficiencies.
The Emmanson case, Eye Reporters observes, is far bigger than one passenger’s grievance, it has become a litmus test of whether Nigeria’s institutions can uphold fairness, resist political influence, and prove that justice is not the preserve of the powerful.
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