A Nigerian family has raised the alarm over the mysterious death of their mother aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abuja to Washington DC, United States.

The family, which chose to remain anonymous, took to social media seeking public assistance, alleging that the woman died on the aircraft under unclear circumstances.

In a video posted on X, one of the deceased’s daughters appealed to passengers who travelled on the same flight to come forward with information about what happened before her mother’s death.

According to her, the family had repeatedly contacted Ethiopian Airlines for clarification but had received no satisfactory response. She stressed that their mother was not ill before the journey.

She urged Nigerians to continue sharing the video to draw the attention of relevant authorities.

Her words: “This woman boarded Ethiopian Airlines on 19th January, 2026 from Abuja to Washington DC but died inside the plane. The family has contacted the airline to know the circumstances surrounding her death because she was not sick, but the airline has refused to speak with us.

“We are using this opportunity to call on anyone who travelled on the same aircraft, ET 950, to please get in touch with us through the email address I will drop here.

“Even airline officials who administered first aid to her on the plane have told us that they have been warned not to speak with the family or anyone about the incident. Please inbox us via this email: [Princeucheadiele@yahoo.com](mailto:Princeucheadiele@yahoo.com) if you have any information regarding our mum’s death.”

The appeal has attracted widespread attention online, with many Nigerians demanding transparency from the airline and authorities.

Reacting to the development, the spokesman of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed that the authority was aware of the incident and was engaging both the family and the airline.

He said: “The NCAA is aware of this case. We are in touch with the family of the deceased as well as the airline. Ethiopian Airlines has submitted their report, and we are waiting for some reports from the family.

“We speak with the family almost daily (we already spoke today), and we are committed to ensuring that full closure is achieved.”

When contacted, Ethiopian Airlines’ communication strategist, Ikechi Uko, asked our correspondent to send questions for him to forward to the airline, but a response had not been received as at press time. (The PUNCH)

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