Controversy over death of Nigerian Woman aboard EgyptAir flight from Lagos

Controversy has trailed the death of a 41-year-old Nigerian woman, Remilekun Toyosi Meshioye, who died Monday, on an EgyptAir airline flight from Lagos to London.

While the family is raising surprises on the handling of the sudden death of their family member onboard an airline, the carrier, EgyptAir, on the other hand, also stated that the dead passenger was sick and that all necessary protocols were followed.

According to report, the lady left Nigeria for London, on board Egypt Air on Monday, through murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos.

Confirming the death, EgyptAir, in a statement issued on Friday, stated that “it was enroute Lagos-London via CAI on the 4th September.

When passenger arrived at the transit area she reported she was sick. Airport Quarantine was called to check her and decided that she need to be hospitalised.

The THEWILL reports that the statement titled: “Details of Developments Regarding Death of Passenger Travelling to London On EgyptAir– September 8, 2023”, further added that “the airport authorities cleared and stamped her into the country and transferred her to a hospital. Nigerian embassy in Cairo was contacted (Mr Tarek from public relations department) and was informed about the case. More information and the following procedures to bring the body back need to be through the Nigerian embassy in Cairo.”

In her reaction, the Senior sister to late Remilekun, who resides in Leeds UK, Mrs Olufunmilola Olaniyi-Alabi, stated, “My sister, Remilekun Toyosi Meshioye, left Lagos for the UK on Monday at 14:00 via Egyptair line and eventually died between her transit from Lagos to Cairo according to the little information we got.

“We called Egyptair customer care and all other contact phone details on their website, but no response all through Wednesday and when the phone was picked they quickly cut it.

“It was only once that a man picked the call that we put through to Egyptair Region Office in London and he said the London office is not aware of what happened and they don’t have any information to share with us.

“So we were left with no choice but to report to the UK Police Department on Wednesday, and they later confirmed to us that our sister was not in the UK, they advised us to contact Cairo or Lagos airports.

“We contacted the agent who sold the ticket to her and the agent sent us proof that she did not board the plane going to Heathrow from Cairo.

“It was at this point that we intensified our efforts as regards trying to get in touch with Egyptair.

“My husband and I later travelled to London (Heathrow), from Leeds, where we reside on Wednesday night, to get to London on Thursday morning and we demanded to see the Egyptair regional manager in their London office, who made some calls on Thursday afternoon in her office to their Cairo office. She later informed us that Remi fell sick in the plane and on landing in Cairo, they rushed her to the hospital in town where she later died. The effort to obtain more information from her was not quite successful as to how she died. She said Nigeria embassy have been informed and they are the ones that should have contacted us. She later called the Nigeria consular Mr Saliu Agraza.

“I strongly feel that Egyptair should have contacted us as the passenger’s next of kin, as against us struggling to get information, which as at this time that I am writing, they are yet to provide to us.

“We spoke to the Nigerian Embassy in the person of Mr Saliu Agraza, who responded that Eygptair only informed them on Tuesday, that Remi is dead and handed over her body to them, but did not have any other information or any contact of her relatives.

“Eygptair further said that only Nigeria embassy in the person of Mr Saliu as a Nigerian Consular will be able to write and demand for what happened on plane and at airport to Remilekun and request for all her belongs and documents that they have in their possession. Including the CCTV footage in the plane and at the airport of Remilekun.

“I am of the opinion that Egyptair is hiding some truth as to what happened to her in the plane and on landing at the airport on Monday night. They don’t want to take responsibility for what happened to Remi.

“As a family of Remilekun, we are demanding for her body to be returned to Nigeria by EgyptAir at their own expense and they should return all her luggage back to Lagos, where she boarded the plane from on Monday, 4th of Sept.”