LAGOS — Chaos erupted at the Murtala Mohammed Airport Terminal 2 (MM2) late last night as angry passengers confronted airline staff after an Enugu Air flight EE4291
from Kano arrived virtually empty of some checked baggage. The incident capped off a grueling, multi-hour flight delay, leaving frustrated travelers—including vulnerable women and an infant—stranded at the baggage carousel without their personal belongings into the early hours of Sunday, June 28.
Sooth News brings you this exclusive firsthand report: One of our own Directors, Officer Mohammed L. Ambi, was caught in the middle of the chaotic and frustrating ordeal.
Frustrated travelers spoke to Sooth News at 11:45 PM, venting their anger over a flight that was delayed from 7:10 PM until almost 9:00 PM. Explaining the chaos at the terminal, a passenger recounted: “The check-in process was complete hell. Enugu Air tried to handle two simultaneous flight departures out of Kano with only one agent. It was a mess—they would call one Lagos passenger, then five Enugu passengers, because the flight to Enugu had to land before another aircraft could arrive from Lagos to pick us up.”
Correspondents from Sooth News at the scene identified several members of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) from the Lagos, Oyo, and Ogun State branches have experienced travel delays.. The Surveyors are journeying back to their respective homes after participating in the just-concluded 60th AGM/Conference of the Institute in Kano.
Speaking to Sooth News immediately after landing, one passenger, Surveyor Opeyemi, who occupied seat 23H said: ”After landing, we waited at the carousel to collect our luggage.
“Once the conveyor belt stopped rolling, our bags were nowhere to be found. Airline officials eventually informed us that several bags had been left behind. Ironically, we noticed numerous unclaimed waybill courier packages rolling past. The explanation we were given was that a smaller, non-standard aircraft had been used for the flight, forcing them to bump passenger luggage.
”The passenger added: “There are about 20 of us stranded. We demand that Enugu Air take full responsibility for this chaos—a simple ‘sorry’ will not fix this. If they can courier my bag to my house tomorrow, I will be satisfied. But, for those who literally cannot get into their homes tonight, the airline must immediately provide hotel accommodations until their luggage is recovered. They just need to do the responsible thing.” he maintained.
Sooth News correspondents identified two Enugu Air representatives on duty, though both appeared to lack decision-making authority. The personnel were limited to manually recording passengers’ contact information on paper, in anticipation of notifying travelers to reclaim their baggage when the delayed cargo arrives on Sunday. Although, airline personnel desperately tried to calm the crowd, pleading for patience.
Correspondents from Sooth News noted that the two Enugu Air representatives handled the hostile environment professionally by remaining calm, they successfully de-escalated the situation while absorbing the verbal frustrations poured out by the angry passengers.
Rather than venting frustration, Sooth News Director, Officer Mohammed L. Ambi, who was also a victim of the incident, stepped in to mediate and maintain peace. Impressed by the conduct of the airline representatives, he remarked: “It is not ideal to escalate this, considering the professional approach exhibited by the two officers on the ground. As professional journalists, our role is to enhance peace, inform, educate, and empower the public. It would be unwise to inflame the situation. Let us not forget that this is a new airline, and we are happy to see indigenous carriers expand everywhere.
”However, even with the class of my ticket, my luggage was not given a ‘priority tag,’ nor was there prior communication at the boarding port that some cargo would be left behind tonight. Had they informed us, travelers could have moved their house keys, medication, car keys, and other valuables to their hand luggage. There was a clear gap in communication.”
Officer Mohammed further noted the irony of the situation, observing that commercial goods were successfully transported while passenger baggage was abandoned. He remarked:
“Funny enough, while we were waiting for our personal luggage, we saw bulky courier cargo on the conveyor belt coming from our aircraft. You can see the reality here: our luggage was left behind, but ‘bulky courier’ items were securely on board. Look at these stranded women. Regardless, we will return to the airport on Sunday to see if they will honor us by delivering our luggage.”
Clocking in at 16:00 hrs, and still total radio silence from the airline regarding the missing luggage.
Surveyor Opeyemi confirmed he has heard nothing new, though his Epe-based colleagues were turned away this morning with a vague instruction to “check back later.”
Sooth News is on the ground, investigating why passengers must endure substandard service and harsh conditions from the airline, despite recent steep fare hikes.
