The Nigerian Diaspora Commission has filed a complaint against Egyptair after a passenger died.

Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Chairman/CEO Abike Dabiri-Erewa wrote to Egyptair’s management on September 4, 2023, requesting an investigation into the death of Ms. Remilekun Toyosi Meshioye.

According to Channels TV, in a letter to Mr. Majdi Al Aridi, the General Manager of the airline’s Abuja office, Dabiri-Erewa described the sudden death of Remilekun as sad and painful. The letter was signed by Dabiri-Erewa and delivered by the Commission’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

Dabiri-Erewa wrote in the petition that her older sister, Mrs. Olufunmilola Olaniyi-Alabi, had petitioned NIDCOM on behalf of the family to bring Remilekuni’s case to light. Olaniyi-Alabi lives in the United Kingdom.

She claimed that Egyptair’s management has not deemed it necessary to contact her family or the next of kin listed in her pre-flight profile since Remilekun’s death on the flight from Lagos to Cairo.

It’s shocking that no one from Egyptair’s management has reached out to the Remilekun family to share the tragic news or offer condolences. Since Wednesday, September 13, 2023, “it has not responded as well to NIDCOM petition,” the statement continued.

Ms. Remilekun Toyosi Meshioye died suddenly on board Egyptair, and the commission, on behalf of her family and the Federal Government of Nigeria, has called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Dabiri-Erewa has since expressed his condolences to the family, prayed for the deceased, and promised that justice would be done in Remilekun’s honour.

On Monday, September 4, via Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Remilekun, 41, was scheduled to fly to London to resume her studies. However, she allegedly fell ill on the flight and was pronounced dead upon arrival at Cairo International Airport.

Mrs. Olufunmilola Olaniyi-Alabi claimed that the family was not informed of her death by the airline but rather by the Nigerian consular office in Cairo.

To paraphrase: “Please we need to know what exactly happened to Remilekun and how to get her corpse back to Nigeria for a peaceful burial, as well as all her belongings in the custody of the airline.”