Passenger slumps, dies at Lagos airport

A Nigerian passenger, Akunne Osei, residing in Accra who arrived in Lagos for business transactions aboard an Arik Air flight on Monday slumped and died at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, on his way back to Accra. He had arrived Nigeria on Friday, August 8, 2014. An Ebola virus test conducted on him, however, was negative.

Yakubu Dati, spokesman for Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), explained that the passenger took ill on Saturday, August 9 and started stoolling.

He explained that when the situation got worse, he called his doctor in Accra who instructed him to return to Ghana immediately for further treatment.

Journalists spotted the corpse, which was covered in pink clothing at the FAAN’s clinic within the terminal during the tour of the Lagos airport facilities with the new minister of aviation, Osita Chidoka.

“But during boarding formalities for his return trip to Accra at the international terminal of Lagos airport, Osei, who had obviously become weak at this time, was subjected to Ebola virus test by port health officials, the result of which was negative.

“No further attention was paid to him after his Ebola virus result read negative but the passenger later slumped and died around the port health office.

“This information is necessary to forestall some possible dissemination of unfounded and misleading media reports on the unfortunate incident”, Dati said.

Meanwhile, newly appointed aviation minister, Osita Chidoka, has asked FAAN to open the arrival drop off zone of the terminal for the use of passengers at the airport just as he berated the authority for abandoning the underground facilities at the MMIA for a long time.