FAAN denies negligence over death of female passenger at Abuja Airport

*The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria have denied allegation of negligence over circumstances surrounding the death of a female passenger on a flight from Abuja to Lagos Wednesday, April 20 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, attributing her sudden death to a previous health challenge 

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have denied any form of negligence over circumstances in which a female passenger on a flight from Abuja to Lagos slumped and died Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, FCT.

The FAAN officials Thursday, April 21 stated that the late traveller had a health challenge before she died at the airport.

It was, however, that other passengers at the airport terminal in Abuja when the incident happened Wednesday knocked FAAN for “delaying to send doctors” to attend to the said passenger before she gave up the ghost.

A witness’ account of how air passenger died

Certain Felix Ashimole, who reportedly witnessed the incident live at the Abuja Airport, in a social media post, however, accused FAAN of not sending medical attention when it was needed most by the passenger.

Report quoted Ashimole’s post read in part: “For 13 minutes, no FAAN medical personnel. She died in my hands and few others. A medical doctor on his way to Kano tried but as he finally said, ‘we lost her.’

“But she would’ve been saved, had FAAN provided basic insulin. She was diabetic. Her sugar went high; she entered coma; no medical attention; she saw the light and moved towards it.”

He further wrote: “We kept calling her, Mama Tobi, Mama Tobi, don’t leave us, wake up, Good morning but saliva trickled down, foams bubbled, and I knew she had seen a better place and wouldn’t be coming back!

“FAAN and the entire airline staff on the ground were stupidly acting as if e no concern them.

“They kept announcing boarding and never used their speaker to ask if there is any medical personnel on the ground.

“Finally they brought an ambulance from their fire fighting department, to take her corpse away!”

FAAN intervened as fast as it could, says GM, Corporate Affairs

Reacting to the allegation of negligence, Voke Ivbaze, Acting General Manager (GM), Corporate Affairs at FAAN, confirmed the development but contended that the Authority intervened as fast as it could, report said.

Ivbaze said: “FAAN regrets that this kind of thing happened. But she was a passenger that already had a condition and anything could just happen to anybody really.

“However, don’t expect that there are doctors around in the hall at every given time, but when they were called, the doctors came there and PCR was done on the passenger. But she still passed.

“This could have just happened anywhere but when it happens at the airport it goes viral as if the management does not care, but that’s not true, we care for our passengers.”

Voke commiserated with the family of the diseased and stated that the passenger was moved to the Nigerian Air Force medical facility at the airport.

She also stated: “We are really not happy about this and our hearts go out to the family of the diseased, and we pray that God should grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

“The diseased passenger was taken to the NAF base hospital.”

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