We Didn’t Leak It! — Ibom Air Reacts To Passenger Exposure Video

Ibom Air has denied responsibility for the release of a viral video showing a passenger in a state of indecent exposure during an in-flight altercation.

Speaking to TVC News on Monday, the airline’s Group Manager for Marketing and Communications, Aniekan Essienette, confirmed that while the incident took place onboard one of its aircraft, the footage did not come from any Ibom Air staff member.

“As much as the video was taken on board, there were several other people in the vicinity who were not Ibom Air employees. Anyone could have recorded it,” she said. “I can categorically state that the video was not released by us. It is unfortunate that it has gone viral. We do not condone such indecent exposure, and we certainly would not have been the ones to circulate it.”

Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo had earlier ordered sanctions against any Ibom Air employee found responsible for leaking the footage. While noting that filming the incident for court purposes was permissible, he described the public release of a video containing indecent exposure as “totally unacceptable.”

Explaining the events leading up to the confrontation, Essienette said the passenger had resisted instructions to disembark.

“She had attempted to leave earlier but was restrained due to certain activities that occurred behind the scenes. Eventually, the pilot in command called security. Our crew restrained her briefly to ensure she was handed over to security directly, and the situation escalated from there,” she explained.

Addressing the broader issue of disruptive passengers, Essienette stressed that no airline would intentionally humiliate a customer and called for stronger preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.