Comfort Emmanson has publicly spoken for the first time since her release, offering a detailed account of the events aboard the August 10 Ibom Air flight that led to her arrest, public humiliation, and subsequent court case.

In a video shared online, Emmanson expressed gratitude to Nigerians and well-wishers who supported her throughout her ordeal.

“I want to appreciate everyone who fought for me when I was in prison. The love and support I saw when I came out, I never expected it. For a commoner like me, you all stood by me. God Almighty will bless you,” she said.

Recounting the incident, the real estate consultant said trouble began shortly after boarding a flight from Oyo to Lagos when a flight attendant, identified as Juliana, asked her to switch off her phone. Emmanson claimed she explained that one of her phones had a damaged power button and needed assistance.

“I never refused to get off the phone. I only told her that my power button was bad and I needed help, which she refused. The passenger next to me helped me, and I eventually turned both phones off,” she explained.

She alleged that upon arrival in Lagos, the same attendant prevented her from disembarking, gave her hostile looks, and ignored her pleas. Feeling targeted, Emmanson began recording the encounter, which she claimed triggered a violent reaction.

According to her, the attendant dragged her by the hairpiece, tore her clothes, and yanked off her gold chain. “The pain of having my frontal pulled was unbearable. That was when I poked her out of anger,” Emmanson recounted tearfully.

She said she was then forcibly removed from the aircraft by multiple staff, with her clothes torn and her body exposed as passengers recorded the scene.

“They videoed me with my body out there. Some people have even turned it into stickers. I can’t even go out again because people already know me. Imagine me trying to sell a house and my clients have seen that video. How do I face them?” she lamented.

Emmanson revealed that she has been receiving medical treatment since the incident and delayed speaking out until she was strong enough. “I’m not a troublesome person, I’m not a nuisance. People who know me in real life know the kind of person I am. I just never expected that offering to switch off my phone would escalate like this,” she said.

Her ordeal began on August 10 when Ibom Air accused her of refusing to switch off her phone, a claim that led to her removal from the flight, a lifetime ban from the airline, and arraignment on five charges. She was briefly remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre before being discharged last Wednesday by an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court in Ogba after the police formally withdrew the case.

Emmanson’s testimony adds a deeply personal dimension to an episode that has sparked nationwide debates on passenger rights, airline staff conduct, and crisis management in Nigeria’s aviation industry. With the court case behind her, she now hopes to recover, rebuild her reputation, and return fully to her business.