Passenger who blocked Abuja flight charged in court - NCAA
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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has backed legal action against an unidentified passenger who blocked an Ibom Air flight to Abuja, vowing to face the full force of the law.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Micheal Achimugu, told our correspondent exclusively on Monday that the angry passenger was handed over to the police and was also being arraigned in court.
In accordance with the regulations, Achimugu confirmed that the passenger would be prosecuted, adding: "The NCAA continues to educate stakeholders on unruly behavior and the sanctions that come with it."
He said: "The regulations are clear that no provocation justifies violence at the airport." Certain acts, including violently blocking an aircraft, can be construed as terrorism depending on their severity (which will be determined by the police).
"She was taken to the police station and held for two nights." She was charged but released on bail. This is the latest information I have received from the airline and I will have more information later today (Monday). »
Asked why she did not disembark to avoid demanding ransom from other passengers, Achimugu said: "I intend to hold a meeting with Avsec and FAAN because it seems that there are improvements in the protocols for dealing with unruly passengers.
"It is when things like this happen that we see the gaps and areas where we need to improve. Because the response should have been faster and the action should have been even faster. What happened was preventable, very preventable. But nothing can excuse the woman for what she did and she will face the wrath of the law for it."
Recall that PUNCH Online had reported how an "unruly passenger" prevented a plane from taking off after airline officials refused to let her carry her overweight luggage on the same flight.
Our correspondent gathered that the airline, Ibom Air, had earlier warned passengers that luggage weighing more than 20kg would not be carried on the same flight but on the airline's next flight.
While the passengers initially agreed to the arrangement, the woman was furious when she discovered that her bag had not been loaded onto the plane.
The angry passenger stormed off the plane and demanded that her bag be loaded immediately, threatening to stop the flight from taking off if it was not.
Despite pleas from various sources, the angry passenger held the plane for ransom until the airport was closed and the airline announced that the flight had been canceled.
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