Comfort Emmanson has been released from prison just two days after her dramatic arrest and detention over an altercation aboard an Ibom Air flight.
Her case sparked nationwide outrage after she was accused of assaulting a crew member during Flight QI 513 from Uyo to Lagos on Monday.
The aftermath saw her stripped in public, arraigned in court, and remanded in prison — actions that drew fierce condemnation from human rights organisations, prominent Nigerians, and the Nigerian Bar Association Women’s Forum, which described her treatment as “degrading” and symptomatic of double standards in the country’s justice system.
Mounting pressure from advocacy groups and public figures prompted Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo to direct the withdrawal of the complaint against her.
Keyamo stated that Emmanson expressed “great remorse” during a police interview attended by her lawyer.
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Following her release, Emmanson took to her Instagram page @soft_commy to thank her supporters and share her condition. She wrote:
“Thank you so much for all the Prayers, Love, and support, I’ve been released from the Prison, but I’m still in pains due to how i was treated. I just need some rest and medical treatment before I give out my own version of the event. Thank you so much my Lovely Friends and Supporters. I really appreciate y’all from the button of my heart. God bless y’all. THANK YOU MY GREAT GOD!!!”
Shortly after, an eyewitness who identified himself on X as Foundational Nupe Lawyer shared a detailed account of the incident, attaching a photo of his flight ticket as evidence that he was seated adjacent to Emmanson on the emergency exit row.
The eyewitness claimed that at no point did Emmanson refuse to switch off her phone before take-off as earlier alleged.
He recounted that Comfort explained to a crew member, referred to as “Hostess 2,” that the buttons on her phone were faulty and she did not know how to turn it off.
She reportedly asked for assistance, but “Hostess 2” refused, saying she would not touch the phone, and instructed her to navigate to the Settings menu.
When Emmanson quietly replied that she could not read the instructions, the hostess allegedly retorted: “I don’t have time for your nonsense. Better switch off that phone immediately.”
The eyewitness described this as a public humiliation that provoked Emmanson.
Another passenger eventually helped switch off the device and the flight took off without and incident.
While he did not condone Emmanson’s later verbal outbursts, he maintained that the situation was unnecessarily escalated by the crew member’s tone and attitude, stressing that “Hostess 1,” who handled other interactions, remained professional and courteous throughout the flight.
Crediblenewsng.com
