*NCAA Explains Why KWAM I Was Not Prosecuted
THE Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has condemned the flight ban imposed on Comfort Emmanson, a passenger on Ibom Air on Sunday, August 10, over her alleged unruly behaviour, describing it as a “draconian and unjust” punishment that exposes Nigeria’s culture of selective justice.
This came against the backdrop of related incidents earlier, involving Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1 or K1 De Ultimate) and Senator Adams Oshiomhole, where none of the duo was charged to court of placed on lifetime no-fly ban.
Obi, in a statement on Tuesday, August 12, said he had apologised to Ibom Air and its crew for the Emmanson’s “unacceptable conduct,” but was shocked to learn that she had been barred from flying with the airline for life.
According to him: “This decision proves the truth of Anacharsis’ words that ‘the law is like a spider’s web: it catches the weak, while the powerful break through with ease.’
“What due process was followed overnight? Was there any attempt at a fair and compassionate resolution?”
Describing the action as a “tragic irony,” Obi lamented that young, powerless citizens face harsh and immediate sanctions, while the politically connected and influential commit greater offences without consequence, adding: “Yes, Ms. Emmanson acted wrongly, but if she now seeks to apologise, who will listen in a country where the pain of the poor is invisible and the dignity of the less privileged is disregarded?”
He warned that justice in Nigeria risks becoming “oppression in disguise” unless it is applied equally to all, regardless of status.
The former Anambra State governor urged room for compassion, rehabilitation and understanding, especially when misconduct stems from frustration or emotional distress, saying: “Power must never decide who is punished and who is pardoned. When justice is selective, it becomes oppression.”
He said the swift action against Emmanson was a “shameful” double standards in Nigeria’s justice system, and “a damning reflection of Nigeria’s broken justice system” and evidence of “a country where the poor are humiliated, the powerless are swiftly punished and the well-connected escape accountability.”
He condemned what followed after her unruly behaviour as “a public spectacle of abuse,” referring to her being stripped in full view, rushed to court and remanded in prison.
“In the same incident, another passenger, who brazenly disrupted a flight, endangered hundreds of lives and committed a more serious offence, remains untouched.
“No arrest, no court date, no jail. Instead, government officials are lobbying for his forgiveness.”
Obi decried a justice system “where the rule of law bends to favour the rich and the full force of the law comes crashing down on the poor,” adding: “When justice becomes selective, it ceases to be justice; it becomes oppression.
“A country cannot claim to be democratic if the scales of justice are tipped by influence, money or political connections.”
He, therefore, urged the authorities to uphold one standard for all citizens, warning that until justice is applied equally, “we will continue to witness disgraceful spectacles like the Ibom Air incident.”
Obi stated that the real tragedy was not confined to events on the plane: “It is the tragedy of a nation where injustice flies first class and fairness is left stranded on the runway.”
However, ostensibly in reaction to mounting allegation of double standards in the handling of the cases, especially that involving the Fuji musician, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified that KWAM 1 was not charged to court by ValueJet, unlike Ibom Air’s action against Emmanson, over alleged unruly behaviour.
NCAA’s spokesman, Michael Achimugu, on Monday told Daily Post that it did not sue KWAM 1 or Emmanson, but that the airline (Ibom Air) exercised its right to sue the alleged unruly passenger in court.
“There’s nothing to put together here. The Ibom Air passenger was arrested and charged to court by the airline.
“The airline has exercised its right to sue the unruly passenger in court. So long as that case is in court, the NCAA has no role to play in it.
“But in the KWAM 1 case, since the airline did not sue or take the passenger to court, the NCAA, which also does not have prosecutorial powers, decided to do the right thing by criminally referring the case to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Inspector General of Police (IGP).
“So, if ValueJet had arrested and taken KWAM 1 to court that day, the NCAA would not have been involved to the extent that it became involved.
“Because they didn’t do that, the NCAA did what it had to do. In this case, the airline, since the incident happened, immediately arrested the lady and sued her in court. So, that’s not the NCAA’s fault.
“We did not sue KWAM 1; we did not sue this lady.”
