By Kede Aihie
Recent airport incidents in Nigeria have been trending on social media, highlighting the conduct of passengers such as Senator Aliyu Oshiomhole, Fuji musician Kwam1, and Miss Comfort E. A common thread among these incidents is the confrontation between passengers and airport staff, often escalating into security responses. This raises questions about an underlying issue in the Nigerian mindset – the affliction of unruly behavior, often driven by a “bigman syndrome” mentality, where individuals assert their influence or status.
In Senator Oshiomhole’s case, he arrived late for his flight, was denied boarding, and subsequently created a scene at the airport by standing on the luggage conveyor belt to confront staff and blocking the exit gate for other passengers. The Kwam1 incident was even more alarming, as he blocked an aircraft from taking off after being denied boarding.
The case of Miss Comfort Emmanson has sparked mixed reactions due to the controversy surrounding the incident. She allegedly assaulted flight attendants over a minor issue of switching off her phone before takeoff, despite her claim that she had put it on airplane mode. The disturbing video of her being dragged out of the aircraft by security personnel, resulting in her blouse being ripped off, has raised concerns about the proportionality of the response.
While Comfort’s conduct was unacceptable, the swift response of taking her into custody and charging her to court raises questions about proportional justice. Notably, Kwam1 and Senator Oshiomhole were neither arrested nor charged for their disruptive and egregious behavior, sparking concerns about selective justice.
