The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, has sought to establish the whereabouts of a 37-year-old Nigerian woman who has been unreachable since arriving in Doha, Qatar.
The woman, who travelled from Lagos to Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1408 on Tuesday, reportedly lost contact with her family after communicating with her brother via WhatsApp shortly before the aircraft landed.
Achimugu said on Saturday that the airline had confirmed through CCTV footage that the woman arrived safely in Doha, collected her luggage and exited the airport terminal.
He said, “I have confirmed, via the airline, that CCTV shows your sister arrived safely, picked her bags, and exited the terminal.”
According to him, further checks would be conducted to determine whether the woman subsequently arrived at the hotel she had booked before travelling.
Achimugu said the checks had been slowed by the public holidays but were expected to establish whether she reached the hotel and whether she got there through the hotel’s pick-up vehicle.
He said every Qatar visa booking must be tied to a specific hotel reservation, adding that Discover Qatar would check the name of the hotel and confirm whether the woman checked in.
“In some cases, passengers arrive at the hotel booked, and then leave quietly. DISCOVER QATAR will check to confirm the name of her hotel, and whether your sister did, indeed, get to the hotel,” Achimugu said.
The NCAA official also said he had informed the airline of concerns about possible human trafficking and forced labour, adding that confirmation from the hotel would help determine the next course of action.
He said, “If she did not arrive at the hotel, a manhunt would ensue. It is easy to track people once they have arrived in Doha.”
Achimugu, however, clarified that the matter was not within his official purview, saying he was assisting the family.
The woman’s brother, Jonathan Jibo (#DigitalworldB), had on Friday raised the alarm in a post on X, saying it had been more than 48 hours since he last had contact with his sister.
Jibo said the woman had travelled to Doha for the first time and had no friends there, adding that her accommodation had been arranged and paid for months before the trip.
He said the person assigned to pick her up at the airport had waited for her but could not locate her, despite being informed by the airline that she had collected her luggage.
Jibo said his sister had worked at Lagos airport for almost 12 years and was expected to resume work in Doha weeks after her arrival.
He wrote, “Till now I can’t reach her phone, online, I don’t even know what went wrong.”
He also appealed to the Nigerian Embassy in Doha and other authorities to assist in tracing her.
In a further update on Saturday, Jibo said his sister’s details had been forwarded to the Nigerian President in Doha and subsequently to the Nigerian Embassy in Qatar.
He said the family was hoping to receive an update from the embassy on Monday, noting that the embassy does not operate during weekends.
The family is awaiting the outcome of the checks to establish whether the woman reached her booked hotel and what happened after she left the airport terminal.