Former Ondo State First Lady, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has written to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, condemning the alleged brutal assault, humiliation, and unlawful detention of a female passenger by Ibom Air officials and collaborating security operatives in Lagos on August 10, 2025.
In her petition, titled “A National Disgrace” and dated August 12, Mrs. Akeredolu described the incident as “barbaric, sadistic, and savage”, demanding urgent presidential intervention.
Quoting verified eyewitness accounts, she alleged that the woman was “prevented from disembarking, physically assaulted, dragged like an animal, stripped partially naked in full public glare, and handed over to security operatives” before being arraigned in court “in an indecent condition and remanded without any semblance of fair hearing.”
“This appalling act is nothing short of the public debasement of womanhood,” Mrs. Akeredolu stated.
“It is an act of gender-based violence and a direct affront to the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the dignity of the human person and prohibits torture or degrading treatment.”
The widow of the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu further accused Ibom Air and its collaborators of breaching multiple laws, including:
The Right to Dignity of the Human Person under Section 34(1) of the Constitution.
The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which criminalizes humiliation, intimidation, and indecent exposure.
The Civil Aviation Act 2022, which mandates airlines to treat passengers with respect and safety.
She also called out “double standards” in aviation law enforcement, contrasting the “heavy-handed treatment of a helpless woman” with “the courtesy extended to high-profile individuals accused of wrongdoing.”
Her demands include the victim’s immediate release, a public apology from Ibom Air and security agencies, a ₦250 million compensation package, suspension and prosecution of all involved personnel, and the creation of a Presidential Task Force on passenger rights protection.
“Those who brutalized this innocent woman are animals in human flesh and must not be allowed to walk freely among civilized men and women,” she declared.
“It is your duty, Mr. President, to ensure justice is not only done but seen to be done.”
