By Annette Ikponmwonba | November 11th, 2026
Key Points
· A senior NCAA official has considered resigning after she was allegedly slapped and humiliated by a female passenger protesting a flight cancellation at the Abuja airport
· The NCAA has not revealed the passenger’s identity, but investigations identified her as Dr Chinyere Ihuarlam
· Tension flared on Thursday after a domestic flight was cancelled, leaving several passengers frustrated
· NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Michael Achimugu said he intervened to dissuade the official from resigning
· The authority has briefed its legal department and vowed to prosecute the passenger
· Other passengers at the scene allegedly tried to conceal the incident before the passenger reportedly admitted to the behaviour
Main Story
A senior official of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has considered resigning from her job after she was allegedly slapped and humiliated by a female passenger protesting a flight cancellation at the Abuja airport. The NCAA has vowed to prosecute the passenger, pledging that the law will take its course as a deterrent against unruly conduct at airports nationwide.
Tension reportedly flared in Abuja on Thursday after the cancellation of a domestic flight left several passengers frustrated. Some of the affected passengers became unruly, and an attempt by the NCAA’s Consumer Protection Officers to calm the situation allegedly resulted in the passenger slapping a senior official. Airport sources said that despite initial denials by some passengers, the official was indeed slapped.
Confirming the incident, Achimugu said the official reached out to him the following day, saying she no longer felt motivated to do the job. “Saying that she no longer feels motivated to do this job. How would I have allowed her to go? She is one of our best hands but I have spoken to her,” he said.
The Issues
The incident highlights the risks faced by frontline aviation workers, who often bear the brunt of passenger anger over delays and cancellations they have no control over. Consumer Protection Officers are deployed to help passengers, yet they are increasingly exposed to hostility, and the official’s near resignation shows the toll such attacks can take on morale.
The alleged attempt by some passengers to cover up the incident adds another layer. Achimugu criticised that conduct sharply, asking: “Do you guys think that paying airfares gives you absolute rights? And how, in the name of God and Law, does the right to slap people extend to innocent workers who are not responsible for the disruption that caused your angst?”
The case also fits a wider pattern. Nigeria’s aviation industry recorded several incidents of passenger misconduct in 2025, including a confrontation involving Fuji musician KWAM 1 and ValueJet crew in Abuja on August 5, an alleged assault on an Ibom Air crew member by a passenger on August 10, and an incident on June 11 in which Senator Adams Oshiomhole was accused of preventing Air Peace personnel from doing their work after being denied boarding. He insisted he had checked in online. The passenger in the current case has not been heard from, and the allegations remain to be tested.
What’s Being Said
Achimugu said the NCAA is taking the matter seriously. “We are not taking this lightly and we have briefed our legal department and will also brief the DG CAA today and woman will have her day in court. This is no civilised behaviour and [no one] will continually remain to attack [officials] while doing their lawful job.”
He added an appeal to travellers. “Times without numbers I have kept appealing to passengers to stop unruly behaviours at the airport. CPOs are always there to help you and not for you to attack them. Cancelling your flight shouldn’t warrant violence if you feel your right was impeded upon there are laid down rules and steps of how you can seek redress.”
He also warned that passengers will one day need officers’ protection, saying he hoped they would not have “slapped all of them out of service by then.” The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria raised the alarm in 2025 over rising cases, warning that such behaviour would no longer be condoned and could attract severe penalties under aviation laws.
What’s Next
The NCAA’s legal department has been briefed, and the Director-General is to be informed, so a prosecution could follow. Attention will turn to whether charges are filed and whether the passenger responds publicly, The case may also push aviation authorities to tighten enforcement against unruly passengers and improve protection and support for frontline staff.
Bottom Line
An alleged slap at the Abuja airport has pushed a senior NCAA official to the brink of quitting, and with the regulator promising prosecution, the case is set to become a test of how firmly Nigeria deals with violence against aviation workers.
