Three people, three offences, one rotten  justice system, by Stephanie Shaakaa

In Nigeria, turbulence begins long before take-off. It’s in the departure halls, on the tarmac, and down the aisles where power, fame, and temper take the cockpit, and civility is forced to fly economy.

The flight itself is rarely the problem. The airport is the theatre of chaos. Courtesy is the first passenger offloaded; egos board first class. The famous bend rules, the rest of us bend under them.

Airports were once sanctuaries of order polished floors, quiet queues, unspoken respect. Today, that discipline is gone. The gates echo with entitlement, the air is thick with ego, and the skies have become an extension of Nigeria’s streets loud, lawless, and fuelled by selective outrage.

Three recent incidents expose the rot.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s boarding row with Air Peace. He says he arrived early, they say boarding had closed. He claims his seat was sold at a premium to a walk-in; they claim procedure was followed. Two power centres clashing, both insulated by privilege, neither truly accountable.

KWAM 1 allegedly blocks a plane’s taxi path, pours liquid on crew and security, and refuses to move. The NCAA grounds two pilots, bans the musician yet the bigger question is ignored. How can a tarmac be breached so easily in an age of global terror threats?

Comfort Emmanson refuses to switch off her phone on an Ibom Air flight. Upon landing, she is barred from leaving, stripped naked, filmed, and humiliated. The video floods social media. No trained crew behaves like this. Conflict should be de-escalated, not degraded into spectacle. Passenger dignity is not a bargaining chip.

The punishment? A lifetime ban and a trip straight to Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison without a judge’s sentence.

Oshiomhole disrupts boarding? We’ll look into it.

KWAM 1 flouts protocol? A slap on the wrist.

Comfort Emmanson defies crew? Public shaming, maximum prison, permanent ban.

This is Nigeria’s justice system at cruising altitude –  smooth landings for the powerful, crash landings for the powerless.

The real scandal is not the exposed skin in that viral video, it’s the exposed decay of our values. We fixated on breasts while aviation safety violations, crew misconduct, and abuse of process went unchallenged.

Yes, passengers must obey instructions phones off, crew directives followed because one act of defiance can endanger hundreds. But airlines must also uphold the dignity of every passenger. Humiliation is not in the safety manual.

This sickness goes beyond aviation. It is the culture of entitlement and impunity that infects every sector. Until we demand equal accountability for VIP and economy seat alike we will remain a country where justice flies business class for a few and baggage hold for the rest.

The skies are a fragile pact of trust. Break it, and you gamble with lives. If discipline and respect don’t board first, one day Nigeria will face a landing rougher than any turbulence we have ever known.

Nigeria, we can do better. But only when we decide that the law should not be altitude-dependent.

New information emerging indicates that…the criminal charge against the woman has been officially withdrawn. Authorities say they want to rest the matter unless she decides to press her own case for the alleged assault.

This means the legal door is closed on their end, but wide open on hers. The next move is hers alone and it could flip this entire story on its head.

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