Comfort Emmanson, the passenger at the centre of a controversial incident aboard an Ibom Air flight, has shared her account of the ordeal that led to her arrest, arraignment, and eventual discharge by a Lagos court.

In an Instagram video posted on Sunday, the real estate consultant thanked those who supported her during what she described as a “traumatic” experience.

Recounting the events of 10 August 2025, Emmanson said she boarded a flight from Uyo to Lagos when a disagreement began with a flight attendant, identified as Juliana. According to her, the attendant insisted she switch off her phone rather than put it in flight mode. One of her two phones, she explained, had a faulty power button.

“I showed her the phone and told her the power button was bad. She said I could still switch it off through the settings. With the help of a fellow passenger, I eventually managed to switch off both phones,” she said.

Emmanson alleged the altercation escalated upon landing in Lagos. After briefly using the restroom, she said she attempted to disembark but was stopped by the same crew member.

“She didn’t say anything to me, just stared at me. I picked up my phone and started recording. That was when she pushed me back into the aircraft, dragged my wig, tore my clothes, and broke my necklace. The pain was unbearable,” she recounted.

The situation worsened as security personnel intervened. Viral videos showed Emmanson being dragged off the aircraft with her clothes torn, sparking widespread outrage and ridicule.

“They tore my clothes, exposed my body, and people recorded me. I felt humiliated. The trauma is so much that I cannot even move around freely anymore. Some people even turned the videos into stickers,” she lamented.

In a follow-up statement on Instagram, Emmanson dismissed claims that her ordeal was politically motivated, describing such reports as “false narratives.” She said she had been subjected to victimisation and libel, and only wished “for redemption and to regain whatever dignity I have left as a woman.”

While acknowledging that she reacted out of anger, she insisted her response was provoked by assault. “God knows I would never lay hands on a woman old enough to be my mother if she hadn’t dragged me and stripped me in public,” she said.

She apologised for her conduct but stressed that it was borne out of pain: “I am not crazy, neither am I wayward. I have never been in such a situation in my life, and I do not wish it on my enemy.”