Former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, His Excellency Peter Obi, has condemned the lifetime flight ban placed on Ms. Comfort Emmanson, a young Nigerian in her twenties, describing it as a stark example of how the nation’s justice system is skewed against the poor while shielding the powerful.
Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi recalled that just a day earlier, he had issued a heartfelt apology to Ibom Air and its crew over the “unacceptable conduct” of one of their passengers. However, by the following morning, news broke that the passenger had been permanently barred from flying with the airline — a decision Obi denounced as both “authoritarian” and “systemically wrong.”
Quoting the ancient Greek sage Anacharsis, Obi likened Nigeria’s justice system to “a spider’s web that catches the weak, while the powerful break through with ease.” He questioned the speed and severity of the sanction, asking:
> “What due process was followed overnight leading to this sanction? Have we exhausted avenues for justice and compassionate resolution?”
Obi described the move as a tragic irony — where a young woman can be banned for life over a single act of misconduct, while those in positions of authority commit far graver offences that harm the nation yet continue to live freely, often celebrated and insulated from consequences.
In a passionate critique, Obi stressed that justice must be consistent, fair, and infused with compassion. He warned that when justice becomes selective, it ceases to be justice and transforms into oppression.
> “If this young woman, who indeed acted wrongly, now seeks to apologise, who will hear her in a country where the pain of the poor is invisible and the dignity of the less privileged is disregarded?” Obi asked.
The former governor of Anambra State urged for a justice system that rehabilitates rather than destroys, especially when misconduct may stem from frustration or displaced aggression. He cautioned that power must never determine who is punished and who is pardoned, calling for equal accountability regardless of social or political standing.
Concluding with his signature vision, Obi said:
> “May God heal our land. A New Nigeria is Possible.”
PIONEER NEWS 