The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosedbthat the yet to be identified passenger who died onboard a Kenya Airways flight after reportedly exhibiting unusual behaviour in the air had earlier been declared inadmissible and denied entry into Madagascar.
The passenger was subsequently deported back to Nigeria through Nairobi, Kenya, where he reportedly became aggressive at some point while being questioned by security personnel.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said the passenger later calmed down and indicated that he was fit to continue his journey before boarding the Kenya Airways flight.
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He, however, said the passenger began manifesting unusual behaviour after the aircraft became airborne, eventually leading to the incident that preceded his death.
Achimugu, who is also the spokesman of the NCAA, said the Nigerian Police Force had taken over the investigation into the passenger’s death, while efforts were being made to identify and interview passengers who witnessed the incident.
“The corpse is at the morgue, and the Nigerian Police have taken over the case and are investigating. There’s a need to corroborate the airline’s report, perhaps with some of the passengers who witnessed the incident. I’m sure the police are doing everything possible to locate some of those passengers at the moment.”
“The airline has been instructed to reach out to the family of the deceased through the registered next of kin, and they are making efforts to do so. So, we will wait for the reports from the police and the witnesses before we can issue any statement.”
“The passenger was declared inadmissible and denied entry into Madagascar on that basis, so he was deported back to Nigeria.”
“When he was in Nairobi, he became a little aggressive at some point. When security questioned him, he calmed down and said he was okay to fly. So, they didn’t think there was a problem until he started exhibiting the behaviour while they were airborne.”
The NCAA spokesman said the authority would await the outcome of the police investigation and accounts from witnesses before issuing a comprehensive statement on the incident.
He also disclosed that the airline had been directed to contact the deceased’s family through his registered next of kin.
“The airline has been instructed to reach out to the family of the deceased through the registered next of kin, and they are making efforts to do that as well. So, we will wait for reports from the police and then the witnesses before we can issue any statement,” Achimugu said.
Explaining the passenger’s movements before the incident, Achimugu said he had been declared inadmissible and denied entry into Madagascar, leading to his deportation to Nigeria.
“The passenger was declared inadmissible and denied entry into Madagascar on that basis that he was deported back to Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, the passenger was routed through Nairobi during his return journey.
“Kenya claims that, you know, on his return from Madagascar, you know, they will still transit through Nairobi,” he said.
Achimugu said that while in Nairobi, the passenger was reportedly aggressive at some point when questioned by security officials, but subsequently calmed down.
“When he was in Nairobi, he was a little bit aggressive at some point. When security questioned him, you know, he calmed down and said he was okay to fly,” he said.
He explained that the authorities did not consider the incident at the time to be serious enough to prevent the passenger from continuing his journey.
“So they didn’t think there was a problem until he started manifesting, but, you know, while they were airborne,” Achimugu added.
The NCAA spokesman said investigators would also need to determine whether the deceased had any underlying medical condition that could have contributed to his death.
He said information from the passenger’s family could help establish whether he had a previously undiagnosed ailment.
“I’m hoping that when they find the family, maybe they’ll be able to tell if he had an underlying ailment, disease that nobody knew about. Otherwise, we’ll just wait for the report from the police,” Achimugu said.
The NCAA, however, stated that it would refrain from drawing conclusions on the circumstances surrounding the death until the police investigation and witness accounts had been concluded.