The former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has reacted to the action taken again female airline passenger, Emmanson Comfort.
He condemned what he described as “double standards” in the handling of the case involving Emmanson, who allegedly assaulted an Ibom Air crew member.
In a statement on X, Obi apologised to the airline crew but criticised the “dehumanising” treatment meted out to Emmanson, who was allegedly stripped in public before being taken to court, and subsequently remanded.
He said it is unacceptable that Emmanson was swiftly prosecuted, while other individuals who disrupted a flight and endangered passengers’ lives have not been arrested or arraigned.
“This case is not just about one young woman, it is about the double standards that poison our justice system,” Obi said, adding that justice in Nigeria should not depend on wealth, influence, or access to government officials.
He urged authorities, including the Minister of Aviation, to explain the alleged disparity in treatment, insisting that justice must be fair, equal, and served to all citizens regardless of status.
On Tuesday last week, a Fugi music singer – Wasiu Ayinde Marshal aka KWAM 1, had exhibited similar behavior at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
KWAM1 was removed from a ValueJet flight on Tuesday after allegedly violating aviation security regulations.
He, however, has not been arrested or prosecuted by the authorities.
Weeks earlier, Senator Adams Oshiomhole reportedly had an altercation with Air Peace flight crew and got away with the equally unruly conduct.