By Gideon Njoku
Wife thanks Nigeria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs for role played in Spain on day the AVM died mid-flight
The body of a senior officer of the Nigerian Airforce, retired Air Vice Marshal Osita Obierika will arrive Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday, October 17, 2025.
It will arrive the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, aboard a
Turkish Air at approximately 1930 hrs local.
Recall that accomplished officer and gentleman, popular as “Professor”, because of his academic prowess, died mid-flight October 5, 2025, on a Brtish Airways flight en-route Abuja from Heathrow Airport, London.
The flight was diverted to El Prat Airport Barcelona, Spain for reason of medical emergency, but all efforts to save the well regarded AVM in-flight, on ground failed. He was in company with his wife when he passed.
Meanwhile, Mrs Obierika who returned to Nigeria on October 10, 2025, has expressed deep appreciation to Nigeria’s Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tugar.
She said that the Minister, who, incidentally, was on same BA flight with them when her husband’s health crisis began on board took charge as soon as he passed.
She said since no passenger was allowed to disembark on landing, including Minister Tugar, at Barcelona, he took her phone number and placed a call to the Nigerian Embassy in Madrid, Spain, spoke to the Charge d’affairs who immediately detailed staff to proceed to Barcelona and assist her.
She said two Embassy Staff embarked on the five-hour trip by road from Madrid to Barcelona to help her.
They got her hotel accommodation as well as transportation, and saw to the Court processes for the evacuation of the body.
As if that was not enough, Mrs Obierika said that the Minister made it a point of duty to place a call to her for the four days she spent in Barcelona before her trip back to Nigeria on the 10th.
AVM Obierika’s body will be received on arrival by a number of NAF Officers, serving and retired. It is expected that his wife will also be there to receive him.
AVM Osita Obierika was a member of NDA Class of ’73. He hailed from Enugu Ukwu Anambra State.
The widow told me of how her ordeal was mitigated upon the BA flight’s diversion to Barcelona . As luck would have it, the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Tugar was also on board that flight. Upon landing, no passenger including the Minister was allowed to step out of the airplane. He took Mrs Obierika’s phone number. Then he called the Charge d’affairs of the Nigerian Embassy in Madrid to detail his staff to proceed to Barcelona and to assist the widow with every facet of the bureaucracy. Two Embassy staff immediately made the 5hrs trip from Madrid to Barcelona. Their the got her a hotel accommodation, transportation and the court process for the corpse evacuation. All through the 4 days in Spain, the Minister called her daily from Nigeria to make sure everything was going on fine.
In view of that, I will suggest that the burial committee writes a letter of appreciation to the Honourable Minister for this kind gesture.
Discover more from The Source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
