18/08/2025
Ibom Air Incident: WABMA Calls For Overhaul of Nigeria's Aviation System
By Onyekachukwu Agu
The West African Broadcasting & Media Academy (WABMA) Media Foundation has expressed grave concerns over the two recent incidents in the Nigerian aviation sector which they described as a troubling pattern; sexual and gender- based violence (SGBV) and called for overhaul of the aviation sector
WABMA in a statement released noted that their position does not presume the innocence or guilt of any party, but condemned the disproportionate and gendered weight of state action borne by the woman involved, Ms. Comfort Emmanson, compared with the markedly lenient, conciliatory response accorded to a politically connected male offender, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall aka KWAM1— despite both matters arising within the same sector and under the same Constitution.
"In reality, the male offender committed a heavier offence by trying to obstruct a commercial aircraft from flying, effectively an attempted hijack. But he gets to be named an ambassador for the government. We also condemn the undignified handling of the issue on social media and the mass media, revealing deep-rooted norms around gender violence," the Academy said.
In addition, the Executive Director of WABMA, Dr. Ken Ike Okere said “When power and status dictate who is protected and who is punished, the result is not enforcement — it is violence by procedure. Nigeria’s institutions must embody justice, not merely perform it."
He noted that the Foundation believes that in the handling of these cases, it is apparent that due process, discretion, and enforcement have been applied in ways that humiliate, strip dignity, and inflict psychological harm, especially on a woman, and this constitutes institutional and societal SGBV.
Public humiliation, excessive force, and rapid criminalisation of one party, alongside indulgence and soft sanctions for another, erode public trust and normalise impunity.”
WABMA Media Foundation added “The handling of these matters have been consistent with the observed norms that WABMA’s project Amplifying the Voices of Leaders of Faith and Culture has been working to address with support from the Ford Foundation. While we are seeing significant changes, actions such as the ones surrounding these current cases show that there is still much to be done, especially among policymakers and social influencers.”
The Foundation made suggestions on how to reform the aviation sector by calling for immediate proportional redress- review and vacate the ambassadorial designation proposed by the Aviation Minister in respect of KWAM1 and make him engage in community service as a correctional measure;
Enforcement of gender-sensitive, trauma-informed protocols, equal enforcement and transparent accountability training and institutional reform as well as data, monitoring and public communication and urged regulators, airlines, security agencies, and the judiciary to act now to remedy harms already done and to prevent future abuses.
