A 37-year-old Nigerian woman, Saratu Jibo, has reportedly gone missing after travelling from Lagos to Doha, Qatar, aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1408 on Tuesday.
Her brother, Jonathan Jibo, raised the alarm on Saturday through a post on his X account, saying the family had been unable to reach Saratu for more than 48 hours after the aircraft arrived safely in Doha.
Jonathan said Saratu had remained in contact with the family during the flight through WhatsApp after connecting to the aircraft’s Wi-Fi. However, communication stopped after she arrived in Qatar.
According to him, someone assigned to receive Saratu at the airport was already waiting when the flight landed but was unable to locate her.
The family subsequently made inquiries at the airport and contacted the airline, where they were reportedly informed that Saratu had collected her luggage.
The development has heightened concerns over her whereabouts, particularly as Jonathan described her as an experienced airport worker who spent nearly 12 years working at Lagos airport and was familiar with air travel.
He said the journey was Saratu’s first trip outside Nigeria and that she had no friends or known contacts in Qatar.
Jonathan added that Saratu had planned the trip herself, funding her travel, accommodation and other arrangements several months before departure. She was also expected to resume work in Doha a few weeks after arriving.
The family has reportedly asked the agent who facilitated the trip to notify the appropriate authorities, while efforts are also being made to obtain CCTV footage from the airport in a bid to trace Saratu’s movements after her arrival.
“We have been communicating well with the authorities so we can see the CCTV camera footage of her ‘last seen’ and identify who was with her last that can give us a lead,” Jonathan said.
He expressed concern about the effect of Saratu’s disappearance on their mother, who had been expecting to hear from her after the journey.
Jonathan appealed to Nigerians to help share information about Saratu and draw the attention of relevant authorities, including the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Doha, to the case.
As of the time of filing this report, the family had yet to determine Saratu’s whereabouts or establish what happened to her after she arrived in Qatar.
