An incident aboard an Ibom Air flight has sparked debate in Nigeria over how authorities handle air rage cases.

A 26-year-old Nigerian woman was remanded Monday in Lagos' Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison after allegedly assaulting airline staff on an Ibom Air flight.

Comfort E.* reportedly refused to switch off her phone before takeoff but complied after the captain intervened. According to the airline, she later assaulted crew members and ground staff after the flight landed at Murtala Muhammed Airport. Footage of the incident was posted on social media.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria placed her on a lifetime no-fly list, citing serious safety risks. Her next court hearing is set for October.

Double standards in handling of airport incidents

Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi criticized what he called double standards in the handling of similar cases.

"It is unacceptable that she was hurriedly taken to court and remanded, while someone who visibly held a plane from taking off and put hundreds of lives at risk is still at large."

He was referring to an incident last week during which a popular musician blocked a ValueJet aircraft from taking off. During boarding, the singer allegedly refused to surrender a flask containing alcohol, spilled it on an airport officer and was later seen in viral videos attempting to block the plane as it taxied

On Tuesday, Obi also questioned whether due process was followed in the decision to place the woman on a no-fly list.

Aviation minister condemns public exposure of passenger

Obi and other social commentators also criticized the way the woman was treated during the scuffle on the ground.

"Stripping her publicly was not only unnecessary but also represents the height of rascality and abuse by our agencies," he said.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said footage of the incident on the ground should not have been publicly shared.

"That is totally unacceptable to us. We will not fold our arms and tolerate the debasing of womanhood," he wrote on social media.

Keyamo ordered that the staff member responsible be identified and sanctioned.

He said he was planning a joint security meeting with key agencies to improve coordination in handling aviation-related incidents.

*Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and urges us to refrain from revealing the full names of alleged criminals.

Edited by: Sean Sinico