Hundreds of Nigerians in Diaspora have threatened to boycott the British Airways following the deplorable conduct of the officials of the airline towards Nigerian passengers.
They are also protesting the manner the airline treated a Nigerian who was forced back to the country last month.
On March 27 this year about 137 Nigerian passengers who boarded British Airways flight 0075 from London to Lagos witnessed the maltreatment of the said Nigerian, who was handcuffed and forced into the flight.
The way he was manhandled, which made the deportee to shout for help, prompted a Nigerian passenger, Ayodeji Omotade, to call on British Immigration officials to exercise restraint unless they wanted to kill him.
Angered by the words of sympathy from Omotade the Immigrations officials took the deportee and the sympathizer out of the plane and arrested the later and detained him, while the deportee was returned to the flight.
Outraged by that incident Nigerians who were witnesses and many others who read the report in the British tabloid, Daily Mirror, wrote a protest letter, which was signed by over 1000 Nigerians to the President, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, demanding a front page apology in a national Nigerian daily newspaper to all passengers on-board flight BA0075; a written apology and appropriate compensation to Mr. Ayo Omotade; lifting of the life ban imposed on Omotade by BA and all criminal charges against him dropped forthwith.
The Nigerians also demanded that BA should sign an undertaking that it should desist from such attitude in future and April 30 was given as deadline for the airline to respond.
"Failure on the part of the British Airways to comply to the above demands will result in us calling for worldwide boycott of British Airways by Nigerians", the petition stated.
Maltreatment of Nigerians and spraying of disinfectant inside the flights coming into Lagos were the butt of dispute between the former Minister of State, Air Transport, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who insisted that the spraying must stop and that BA should adopt a better attitude while dealing with Nigerian passengers.
Commenting on the issue, Omotade said, "There are also numerous accounts of less than acceptable customer service by BA to Nigerians on board flights to and from Nigeria. Such treatment must stop."
Daily Mirror reported that the BA pilot took the "extra-ordinary" decision to boot off everyone who had witnessed the arrest of Mr. Omotade, an IT consultant from Chatham, Kent.
"The captain took the view they were all guilty of disturbing the flight, although no more passengers were arrested. After the economy class section was virtually cleared, the deportee, aged about 30, was brought back on and the flight left".
"The passengers were booked on to later flight, but Mr. Omotade, was told by BA staff he was banned by the airline for life."

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