Comfort Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger, who went viral after she was violently pulled out of a plane by airport security after she clashed with a flight attendant on a journey from Uyo to Lagos, has finally given her side of the story about what happened.
Ms Emmanson, who was recently released from the Kirikiri prison, in a video she posted on her Instagram page on Sunday, said it was the air hostess, identified as Juliana, who attacked her first when she started recording what was going on when she prevented her from disembarking from the aircraft upon landing.
After the plane landed, she said the flight attendant stared at her “with a bad eye,” and then prevented her from disembarking, unlike the other passengers.
According to her, she appealed to the air hostess to allow her leave, but her request was ignored.
But that the situation escalated when the air hostess noticed she was recording with her phone, claiming that the air hostess then attacked her, yanking off her wig and gold chain she was wearing, and calling her a prostitute. As a result, her phone also fell, resulting in a broken screen, Ms Emmanson said.
On how the whole things started, she said it all began shortly after boarding a flight from Oyo to Lagos. when Juliana, allegedly ordered her to switch off her phone,
Ms Emmanson explained that while one of her phones was faulty, with a damaged power button, she eventually received help from a fellow passenger to switch it off.
“I never refused to get off the phone. I only told her that my power button was bad and I needed assistance, which she refused. The passenger sitting next to me helped me, and I eventually turned both phones off,” she said.
“She dragged my frontal, my gold chain, and in the process, my phone fell and broke. The pain of having my frontal yanked off was unbearable. That was when I poked her out of anger,” Emmanson recalled.
She explained that the pain she was feeling after her wig was removed, made her retaliate against Juliana, hitting her severally.
“God knows I can never go and poke an elderly woman, Somebody that is old enough to be my mum.
“Poke her for what? It was the pain she inflicted on me, the frontal pain, dragging my gold…that was the anger..I was so angry I could not even hold it.
“That was why I was like asking her ‘why did you do that ’ in the trending video that was posted.
“I asked her why did you do that because you dragging my frontal me, calling me a prostitute in the process.
“I just had to ask her ‘why did you do that?’ That was why I poked her”
The real estate consultant teared up when she recounted being forcibly pull out of the aircraft by multiple staff while passengers filmed the scene.
She said her clothes were torn, leaving her exposed, humiliated, and vulnerable to groping while being dragged out.
“They videoed me with my body out there. Some people have even turned it into stickers. I can’t even go out again because people already know me. Imagine me trying to sell a house, and clients have seen that video. How do I face them?”
Ms Emmanson disclosed that she has been undergoing treatment since after her release and delayed speaking out until she was strong enough.
“I’m not a troubled person, I’m not a nuisance. People who know me in real life know the kind of person I am. I just never expected that offering to switch off my phone would escalate like this,” she said.
She thanked those who she said stood by her during her ordeal.
“I want to appreciate everyone who fought for me when I was in prison. The love and support I saw when I came out, I never expected it. For a commoner like me, you guys stood by me. God Almighty will bless you,” Ms Emmanson said.
Watch her video below:
cpcnews.org 