Olubunmi Balogun Shonubi, who claimed to have been seated next to Comfort Emmanson on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on August 10, recounted her version of the incident that later led to Comfort’s remand at Kirikiri Correctional Centre for allegedly assaulting crew members and airport officials.
In a Facebook comment on a post by someone named Princess, Olubunmi said Comfort appeared “like a call girl” when she boarded the plane. She explained that one air hostess, later reported to have been slapped, was polite and helpful during boarding and asked Comfort to switch off her phone before takeoff. Comfort complied in attitude but explained that her iPhone’s power button was faulty, making it impossible to turn off the device.
According to Olubunmi, after the first hostess walked away, another rudely approached Comfort. This second hostess told her that iPhones could be turned off via the settings menu and dismissed her explanation. When Comfort admitted she was illiterate and could not navigate the phone settings, she asked for assistance. The hostess refused to help, saying she would not touch the phone and even threatened to have Comfort removed from the flight.
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Olubunmi stated that she and two other nearby passengers intervened. A man seated beside Comfort eventually helped power off the phone. However, other passengers, unaware of the full exchange, began criticising Comfort. Olubunmi and her seatmates defended her, suggesting the hostess’s behaviour might have been influenced by gender bias and that a male passenger might not have received similar treatment.
The situation eventually calmed, and the flight continued. Yet, feeling humiliated, Comfort began verbally attacking other passengers. This embarrassed those who had defended her, including Olubunmi, who tried to calm her without success. Comfort spent much of the flight discussing the incident with the man beside her.
Upon arrival in Lagos, Comfort quickly went to the restroom and stayed there until most passengers had disembarked. Olubunmi suspected she was planning something, and later, after seeing a video of events following the flight, she believed her suspicions had been confirmed.
