Photo: KWAM 1, Fuji star who got away with an apology
By O.M.O-Beecroft
Recently, the Nigerian aviation industry became an unlikely mirror, reflecting the ugly truths about our justice system. Three separate incidents—each disruptive, each a breach of aviation rules—have played out before our eyes. But it is not just the acts themselves that have gripped the nation; it is the starkly different ways in which they were handled, and what those differences say about who we are as a country.
First, there was the incident involving Senator Adams Oshiomhole, whose missed Air Peace flight in June ended in chaos. He allegedly assaulted staff, blocked a terminal, and brought airport operations to a standstill. Yet, in the aftermath, there was no immediate arrest, no court appearance, no public humiliation—only a promise of investigation.
Then came August and Fuji music legend Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1) who halted a ValueJet aircraft on the tarmac in protest over a boarding dispute. His actions, by any measure, put lives at risk. The response? Temporary sanctions, a no-fly list, and then, after a public apology, a wave of forgiveness championed by sympathetic voices in power.
And then came Comfort Emmanson. She boarded an Ibom Air flight in a white zippered jacket, quiet and purposeful, expecting to arrive in dignity. Somewhere mid-air, a disagreement over her phone—already in-flight mode—spiralled into confrontation. By the time the plane returned to the terminal, she was forcibly dragged from her seat, stripped in public view, and paraded off the aircraft. Within hours, she was in court. Within hours, she was remanded to Kirikiri Prison, to remain there for almost two months before trial, based on a post-dated warrant that legal experts have called blatantly illegal.
Three incidents. Three breaches. Three very different outcomes.
Oshiomhole walked away to the comfort of an “ongoing investigation.” KWAM 1 found his road smoothed by apology and influence. Comfort—an ordinary citizen without connections or political clout—was met with the full, unrelenting force of Nigeria’s selective justice system.
This is not about excusing wrongdoing. No one is saying that assaulting a flight attendant or disrupting an aircraft is acceptable. But fairness demands that the same law that governs the rich must also govern the poor, and the same compassion extended to the powerful must also be offered to the powerless.
Section 36(1) of our Constitution guarantees that no one shall be condemned without a fair hearing. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations demand courtesy, dignity, and respect in passenger handling. The Montreal Convention binds airlines to answer for bodily injury and humiliation. Yet, in Comfort’s case, these protections evaporated at the first sign of conflict. She was not just punished; she was dehumanised.
It is here that the public’s anger finds its root. Because we have seen terrorists pardoned. We have seen public funds looted without consequence. We have seen men of influence disrupt entire airports and still be treated with deference. But a young woman—whose alleged offence is arguably the least severe of the three—was shamed, stripped, and jailed with unprecedented speed.
This is the human cost of selective justice: the erosion of trust in our institutions, the belief that the law is a shield for the elite and a sword against the poor. If this is the reality we accept, then no one is safe—because someday, each of us may stand where Comfort stands today.
Comfort Emmanson deserves a fair hearing, just like Oshiomhole. Just like KWAM 1. Not because she is perfect, but because justice demands it. Justice is not about who you know or how much you own; it is about truth, fairness, and equality before the law.
We must learn to respect ourselves and the rule of law, no matter how aggrieved we are in any situation. Let us build a country where truth, fairness, and justice thrive—no matter whose horse is gored. Because in the end, the true measure of a nation is not how it treats the powerful, but how it treats the powerless.
O.M.O-Beecroft sent this piece from Ajagbodudun, Warri North, Delta State
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