Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned the treatment of airline passenger Ms. Comfort Emmanson, captured in viral videos showing her being forcefully removed from an Ibom Air flight and later exposed in a compromising manner.
At a press briefing in Abuja, NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, said the incident — and the public dissemination of the footage — amounted to a “clear affront to human dignity,” stressing that such acts “have no place in a civilised society.”
He emphasised that the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment is an “absolute and non-derogable right” under Nigerian, African, and global human rights law. Citing Section 34 of Nigeria’s constitution, the UN Convention Against Torture, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Ojukwu said the passenger’s dignity and privacy were severely violated.
The NHRC also criticised the recording and viral spread of the incident online, describing it as “a secondary form of harm.”
The Commission welcomed recent government actions addressing this case and another involving ValueJet Airline and musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshall but insisted that “all human rights issues arising from both cases should be thoroughly addressed in the interest of rule of law and justice.”
Ojukwu urged airlines to adopt clear protocols and provide staff training to handle disputes without resorting to force or humiliation, warning that companies could be held accountable for rights abuses under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The NHRC called on aviation authorities to review passenger-handling procedures to ensure compliance with human rights standards and pressed prosecutors to act swiftly against those implicated under Nigeria’s Anti-Torture Act.
The Commission also issued an unprecedented advisory to all aviation stakeholders on “the right to dignity and protection against torture, inhuman and degrading treatment in aviation operations.”
Ojukwu pledged continued monitoring to ensure Ms. Emmanson, other passengers, and airline staff are protected, and that those responsible are held fully accountable.
PIAK