NCAA CONFIRMS MISSING NIGERIAN WOMAN FOUND SAFE IN QATAR

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By: Fasasi Hammad

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that a 37-year-old Nigerian woman who went missing after arriving in Doha, Qatar, has been found safe and reunited with her family.

The NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this in a post on his X account on Sunday.

Achimugu explained that the woman’s mobile phone and international passport had been held by Qatari Customs while officials sought to clarify some issues, preventing her from contacting anyone during the process.

“FINAL UPDATE: I have spoken with the lady. She is safe. Her mobile phone and international passport were held by Customs who were trying to clarify some issues. She was unable to reach anyone while the process was ongoing. However, she has been cleared and released, and has possession of her properties. She has contacted her family, too,” he wrote.

He said the woman also expressed appreciation to those who raised concerns and assisted in efforts to locate her.

Achimugu commended a Nigerian, Yusuf Adesoga, for collaborating with him and visiting security agencies in Doha before eventually tracing the woman to where she was found.

He also praised the woman’s brother, Jonathan Jibo, for raising the alarm after she became unreachable, noting that his persistence helped mobilise widespread efforts to locate her.

The woman had earlier been reported missing after travelling from Lagos to Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1408. Her family lost contact with her shortly before or after the aircraft landed.

According to her brother, she was visiting Doha for the first time and had no friends in the country. Her accommodation had reportedly been arranged and paid for months before her trip, while a designated person was waiting to pick her up at the airport but could not locate her.

The woman, who had worked at Lagos airport for almost 12 years, was expected to resume work in Doha weeks after her arrival.

An earlier update from her brother indicated that she had been found at a hospital after falling ill.

Responding to the development, Achimugu said Customs officials had taken her to the hospital, adding that she had been cleared of any wrongdoing.