Godwin Mbok, the father of Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of assaulting Ibom Air staff and security personnel, has spoken out for the first time about the incident.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Ms Emmanson boarded the airline’s flight from Uyo to Lagos, where she allegedly attacked a flight attendant and clashed with security operatives at the airport.
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The alleged assault resulted in her arraignment before the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on criminal charges and her subsequent remand at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos State.
She later regained her freedom after the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, directed the airline to withdraw its complaint against her.
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Following her release, Ms Emmanson, a real estate entrepreneur, recounted her experience in a video posted on Instagram, explaining that the confrontation began when the airline hostess, Juliana Edwards, asked her to switch off her mobile phone.
However, in an interview with “Is Real TV” which went viral on Monday, Mr Mbok said he felt devastated and provoked after an indecent video of his daughter circulated online.
Viral video
Mr Emmanson, a tailor from Akwa Ibom State, said: “The first day I saw the video, I was so provoked because I tried everything to train my child through school, and I didn’t know why it could have happened that way.
“Is it because I don’t have money? I don’t know how these people are going to pay my bills. I don’t know what to say or do. They have rubbished us, tarnished our image. I am not myself. I don’t even feel like eating. I don’t know exactly what to do at home.
“As I’m sitting down here, I am not myself, and I don’t even feel like eating or doing anything because they stripped my child naked. She didn’t steal; it was just a mere argument. They stripped my child naked.
“How can you strip somebody’s child naked and then post it for the whole world to see? Who posted it? How did it happen? What has the government done about this? Is it because I am speaking as a “church rat”? I am not happy. No matter what, compensation must be made.”
Mr Emmanson further explained that he had trained his daughter very well.
“I trained Comfort by being a tailor. I’m in shock. Before someone gave me where I am now, I didn’t have money to rent a shop for more than a decade”, he said.
Backstory
This newspaper earlier reported that Ms Emmanson disclosed she had been left deeply traumatised by the circulation of her nude video.
She explained that she found it difficult to step outside and felt too ashamed to go to work, as her body had been publicly exposed and even turned into a sticker.
“I’m into real estate, imagine me going to sell a house, or advertise a house, or try to bring a client to buy a house and they are looking at my body, how do I even face them, knowing that my body is out there?”, Ms Emmanson lamented in a video posted on her Instagram page.
She stated that she had flown with Ibom Air for years without ever experiencing such an incident.
This newspaper also reported that since her release, she had received several incentives from Nigerians.
Ossai Success, Special Assistant on Media to Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, announced a monthly job offer of N500,000 for her.
In a now-deleted post, Mr Success further offered her a complimentary flight ticket, five-star hotel accommodation, tourism experiences in Delta, and a free pass to the Delta Social Media Summit scheduled for 28 August in Asaba.
He also invited Ms Emmanson to “relax and recover” from her ordeal, urging anyone in contact with her to reach out via direct message.
Also, businessman Oga Uby disclosed that he’d replace her damaged phone during the incident with a new iPhone 16 Pro Max.
He also announced he’d signed her on a four-year brand ambassador contract with Tubex Logistics Services.
In addition, Abuja-based real estate developer Emmanuel Chukwudi Nwafor pledged to gift Ms Emmanson a plot of land at Katampe Extension in the Federal Capital Territory.
As of press time, this newspaper could not confirm if she accepted the offers.
