Ibom Air: “The young lady’s offence not compare to the crimes committed daily by politicians parading themselves as “excellencies” — Peter Obi
“It is unacceptable that she was hurriedly taken to court and remanded, while someone who visibly held a plane from taking off and endangered hundreds of lives is still at large, with government agencies and some state officials speaking up for him to be forgiven,” Obi said
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Ibom Air: “The young lady’s offence not compare to the crimes committed daily by politicians parading themselves as “excellencies” — Peter Obi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised what he described as blatant double standards in Nigeria’s justice system, following the controversial handling of an incident involving a female passenger on Ibom Air, Miss Comfort Emmanson.
In a statement on Sunday, Obi began by apologising to the airline crew who were reportedly assaulted by Emmanson, stressing the need for Nigerians to uphold good conduct as a marker of a decent society. However, he condemned in strong terms the public humiliation she faced, describing her stripping as “unnecessary” and “the height of rascality and abuse” by security operatives.
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“It is unacceptable that she was hurriedly taken to court and remanded, while someone who visibly held a plane from taking off and endangered hundreds of lives is still at large, with government agencies and some state officials speaking up for him to be forgiven,” Obi said.
The former governor of Anambra State argued that the incident highlights the entrenched inequality in Nigeria’s justice system, where the poor and powerless are swiftly punished while the influential enjoy protection.
“This young lady’s offence does not compare to the crimes committed daily by those parading themselves as ‘excellencies’ while looting public funds without consequence,” Obi noted. “Yet they have never been stripped or dehumanised in the name of justice.”
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He urged the Minister of Aviation and other relevant authorities to provide answers over what he described as “double standards in adjudication,” insisting that justice must be fair and equal for all Nigerians, regardless of social status or gender.
“Justice must be just, or it is nothing at all,” Obi emphasised, calling for a renewed commitment to the rule of law as the foundation of democracy.
“A new Nigeria is possible,” he concluded.
