Passenger Forcibly Removed from Plane After He Allegedly Refused to ‘Switch Off His Mobile Phone’

A passenger was forcibly removed from an airplane after he allegedly refused to turn off his phone, officials said.

The incident happened on Monday, Sept. 1, on an Enugu Air flight, a Nigerian state-owned airline. The plane was scheduled to fly from Enugu to Lagos.

In a video of the event, officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) tried to persuade the passenger to leave the aircraft on his own. When he refused, employees in neon vests dragged him out, even pulling a curtain from the wall in the process. Another passenger sitting in the front row helped by loosening the man’s grip on the doorway.

The struggle continued outside as staff tried to push the passenger away from the plane. He clung to the handrails of the boarding stairs, forcing authorities to physically pull him down. In another clip, six FAAN employees surrounded him on the tarmac as they worked to remove him.

Obiageli Orah, director of public affairs and consumer protection at FAAN, told Newsflare that the passenger repeatedly ignored safety instructions.

“So far, what we have gathered is that a passenger was meant to switch off his mobile phone, but he refused to abide by that instruction,” Orah said. “Other passengers also asked him to turn off his phone, and when he refused, security personnel on the ground were alerted. The aircraft had to go back to deplane him.”

The incident comes less than a month after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced a new rule requiring passengers to completely power off their phones during takeoff and landing, according to local newspaper Punch. Before this change, travelers could use their phones in airplane mode, but that is no longer allowed. Some airlines had already enforced similar restrictions.

At the time of the announcement, NCAA’s director general, Capt. Chris Najomo, said the agency would also ensure that airlines provide “adequate training of conflict resolutions” for staff.

This is not the first time such an incident has taken place. On Aug. 10, passenger Comfort Emmanson was removed from an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos after refusing to turn off her phone, the airline said in a Facebook statement.

A fellow passenger reportedly switched off Emmanson’s phone, sparking a verbal argument. After landing in Lagos, Emmanson confronted the crew, and the pilot called security. She was restrained, removed from the plane, and later taken into custody by FAAN security before being handed over to the Nigeria Police Force.

Ibom Air said Emmanson is now banned from flying with them, stressing that the company has a “zero-tolerance policy towards any form of unruly or violent conduct that threatens the safety of passengers, crew or equipment.”