A passenger has died aboard a Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to Lagos after becoming unresponsive about 20 minutes before the aircraft landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Kenya Airways confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday, saying the medical emergency occurred at about 9:20 p.m. Nigerian time on Tuesday.

The airline said its crew administered first aid to the passenger in line with their training and followed emergency procedures before the aircraft landed at 9:41 p.m.

“Upon landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 21:41 hrs, the aircraft was met by medical personnel, and upon further examination, the medical personnel confirmed that the passenger had passed away,” the airline said.

Kenya Airways expressed condolences to the passenger’s family and friends and said it was providing support in coordination with the family, local authorities and aviation regulators.

The airline did not disclose the identity of the passenger or the cause of death, saying it would respect the privacy and dignity of those involved.

NCAA responds

Responding to the incident, Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said the police have taken over the investigation.

Mr Achimugu said he was briefed by Kenya Airways’ country manager on Wednesday morning.

According to him, the passenger had reportedly been picked up in Madagascar after authorities there denied him entry and was being returned to Nigeria by Kenya Airways.

He said the airline was expected to return the passenger because it had transported him to Madagascar.

“The country manager said he was picked from Madagascar, after customs had earlier denied him entry into the country, and as expected, the airline that brought him into the country must take him back,” Mr Achimugu said.

He further said the passenger allegedly became restless and aggressive during the return flight, attempted to gain access to the cockpit and later tried to open the rear door of the aircraft.

He explained that the passenger was subsequently restrained by members of the crew.

“When he got into the aircraft, he became restless and aggressive inside the aircraft, wanted to enter the cockpit and later wanted to open the rear door, but was later tied down. His hands were tied to his back to ensure that he stopped the troubles,” he said.

Mr Achimugu said the passenger was pronounced dead after the aircraft arrived in Lagos.

“But when he got to Nigeria, he was declared dead on arrival. I don’t want to pre-empt the police investigation, but they have taken it over for now,” he said.

He added that the deceased’s family could request an autopsy as the investigation progresses.

Police begin investigation

The spokesperson for the Airport Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Muhammed Adeola, confirmed that an investigation had commenced.

Mr Adeola said the incident involved an “inadmissible passenger” and that complications reportedly developed during the return flight.

“Yes, it’s true, and investigations have commenced. It’s an issue of an inadmissible passenger, and the said complications arose on their way back,” he said.

He said the passenger became unable to breathe before medical personnel were alerted ahead of the aircraft’s arrival.

Mr Adeola said the police have taken statements from members of the flight crew, including the captain.

He added that the body had been deposited at a morgue in Ikeja.

Similar incident

The death is not the first reported case of a passenger dying aboard an international flight bound for Lagos.

In March 2019, a 54-year-old passenger aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta, United States, to Lagos was found unresponsive shortly before the aircraft landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

The passenger was confirmed dead after the aircraft landed, with medical personnel meeting the flight at the airport.

Medical emergencies have also led to international flights returning to Lagos.

In September 2025, PREMIUM TIMES reported that a United Airlines flight from Lagos to Washington, D.C., returned to Lagos after a passenger suffered a medical emergency about 90 minutes into the journey. Medical personnel attended to the passenger after the aircraft landed.

Kenya Airways said it is providing the necessary support in coordination with the deceased passenger’s family, local authorities and aviation regulators.

The airline also apologised for any inconvenience the incident may have caused other passengers.

Meta announced Wednesday that it took action against 33.2 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content on Facebook and Instagram in the first half of 2026. At the same time, the company is rolling out new AI tools to find ads and accounts that may be used to secretly direct people to illegal child abuse material.

More than 97% of the content Meta acted on was found by its systems before users reported it, the company said. In India, Meta acted on 5.3 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content during the same period, with more than 98% detected before users reported it.

Meta said its latest AI tools are aimed at people using ads that look harmless to send users to illegal content outside Meta’s platforms.

The company has introduced a new large language model (LLM) system to detect what it calls “signposting.” This refers to ads that may look normal but are suspected of directing users to illegal content or other harmful activity elsewhere online. Meta says this is a tactic it has recently seen bad actors use as they continue to change their methods to avoid detection. While the ads themselves may not contain illegal material, they can still act as a gateway to websites hosting child sexual abuse material.

Because of this, Meta said it’s now looking at where an ad sends users, and not just what the ad contains. The company can use this information to block websites or other destinations that break its rules and take action against the accounts behind them.

Meta is also using additional AI-driven scans to find child exploitation content that earlier systems may have missed. The company said it will continue adding new signals as it learns more about how these networks operate.

Another new tool is a “red-teaming AI agent” that tests Meta’s own safety measures. It looks for weaknesses that bad actors could use to get around the company’s protections. Meta said this could help it find new methods of abuse before they become more common.

Additionally, the company is improving its systems for finding people who return to its platforms with new accounts after their previous accounts have been removed.

The new measures come as Meta continues to face pressure over the safety of children on its platforms. The company has faced lawsuits and criticism from lawmakers over the risks its social media services may pose to young users. In August, Meta reached an agreement to pay up to $18 billion to settle a child safety lawsuit involving 29 U.S. states, addressing concerns regarding the protection of children online.

Meta has introduced several child-safety features this year, including parental controls for Meta AI, pre-teen accounts on WhatsApp, and alerts for parents when children search Instagram for self-harm content.

In September, WhatsApp added more controls for parents. They can limit how teenagers use Channels, control who can see their status updates, and decide who can add their children to groups. Parents can also choose to receive notifications about certain group activity.