The Traffic

🚨 Ibom Air Clears the Air: ‘We Didn’t Leak Passenger’s Indecent Video’

Ibom Air has firmly denied any role in leaking a viral video showing a passenger in a state of indecent exposure during an in-flight altercation, insisting that none of its staff were responsible for the footage’s public release.

Speaking to TVC News on Monday, the airline’s Group Manager for Marketing and Communications, Aniekan Essienette, confirmed that the disturbing incident did occur on one of their flights but stressed that “no Ibom Air employee was behind the leak.”

This clarification follows Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo’s directive to sanction any airline staff found guilty of sharing the footage. While the Minister noted that recording such incidents for legal evidence is permissible, he condemned the public release of material containing indecent exposure as “totally unacceptable.”

Essienette explained that multiple people, including non-airline staff, were present during the incident, making it possible for others to have recorded and circulated the video.

“As much as the video was taken on board, we had several other people who were not Ibom Air employees around the vicinity. So, anyone could have taken that video. I can tell you categorically that the video was not released by us,” she said.

She described the passenger’s removal as a security measure after the individual resisted instructions to disembark.

“The pilot in command had to call security. Our crew restrained her briefly to ensure security could take her directly off the plane. What you saw was the result of that process,” Essienette added.

On the rising incidents of disruptive behaviour on flights, Essienette maintained that Ibom Air does not humiliate passengers and called for proactive measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna