*Says Foreign Affairs Minister Also On Flight
AN eyewitness has recounted how a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) officer, Air Vice Marshal Osita Obierika (rtd) died mid air aboard a British Airways flight from London to Abuja on Monday, October 6.
Following the incident, the flight, which departed London’s Heathrow Airport at 11:00p.m. on Sunday, October 5, for Abuja, was diverted to El Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain.
The passenger, who was also on board the flight, said Obierika appeared too frail to travel and was accompanied by his 79-year-old wife, whom the witness described as equally weak, adding: “It was a pathetic situation. The man should never have travelled with his wife, who is 79 years old and not too strong either.”
The eyewitness noted that Obierika and wife had flown from the United States (US) to London with their children, but the children, who subsequently left the elderly couple to travel alone to Abuja, adding: “The children left them in London for the parents to proceed alone to Abuja. Quite traumatic.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs was on board and helped to get the corpse to the mortuary with embassy officials.”
According to NewGuru, another passenger, a pregnant lady, was said to have also fainted during the flight due to an asthma attack.
Obierika, an accomplished officer, fondly called “Prof,” who hailed from Enugu- Ukwu in Anambra State, was said to be in his early 80s and has been battling with cancer-related ill-health in London and also received treatment at Philadelphia, US.
A colleague lamented that Obierika had assured him he would soon be on his feet.
It was not known why he left London, but it was speculated that he may have been told that the end was near; hence his decision to fly back home.
It was gathered that some senior officers were there waiting to receive him on arrival at the airport, where the news of his death was broken to them.
