A 37-year-old Nigerian woman has reportedly gone missing in Qatar after travelling from Lagos to Doha, with her family unable to establish contact with her for about 72 hours after she left the airport.
The woman travelled to Doha on Tuesday aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1408 and reportedly communicated with her brother through WhatsApp shortly before the aircraft landed. She has, however, been unreachable since then.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, said he had contacted the airline over the matter and confirmed through CCTV footage that the woman arrived safely at Hamad International Airport, collected her luggage and exited the terminal.
Achimugu said attention had now shifted to determining what happened after she left the airport, particularly whether she arrived at the hotel she had booked before travelling.
He explained that checks with Discover Qatar would help establish whether the woman checked into the hotel and whether she arrived there through the hotel’s designated pick-up arrangements.
According to him, the investigation had been slowed by the ongoing public holidays, but further checks were expected to provide information about her movements after leaving the airport.
Achimugu also said he had informed the airline about concerns regarding the possibility of human trafficking or forced labour, although he stressed that he was assisting the family in his personal capacity and that the matter was not within his official jurisdiction.
“If she did not arrive at the hotel, a manhunt would ensue,” he said, adding that it would be possible to track her movements once authorities established what happened after she exited the airport.
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