'Apologise For 3 Days Starving Of 17-Year-Old Student Or...'

Nigeria has asked the Egyptian government to apologise for the maltreatment of a 17-year-old Nigerian medical student by Egypt’s national carrier, Egypt Air.

Joshua Kunle Abdul-Azeez, a Nigerian medical student studying in Ukraine, was allegedly denied access to food and water for three days after his air ticket was wrongly routed.

The Minister of State 1 for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, on Thursday summoned the Egyptian ambassador, Ashraf Salama, to formally lodge a complaint and demand an apology, reports.

Onwuliri criticized the Ambassador for focusing who said "we must taste and verify the credibility of the news report on the issue before we make a judgment," discrediting the media reports rather than the student's plight.

“You (the ambassador) are worried about four pages of newspaper report on the issue, but I am surprised that you are not worried that a Nigerian passport was torn by an official of Egypt Air," Onwuliri.

“I am surprised that you are not worried that a young boy, a Nigerian citizen, was left without food and water by an airline operated by your government."

She added that Federal government would not hesitate to demand compensation.

“One Nigerian citizen is important to us and part of our multi-track diplomacy is that every Nigerian everywhere must be fully accounted for.

“The young boy in questions was going back to school in Ukraine and he complained here that he was issued the wrong ticket.

“Did you (Egypt Air) employ people who cannot read tickets and issue correct codes even after complaints,’’ she said.

Salama called for understanding over the matter, adding that the good relationship between the two countries should not be affected by the incidence.

“We have respect for our Nigerian brothers and if this incident really happened, we will see who is responsible and punish accordingly.

“We have been supporting and standing by each other and I think we should continue that way,’’ he said.

The Nigerian government has in the past been criticised of not caring for it's citizens studying outside the country, especially after the murder of Mr. Godwin Ayogu, a 19-year-old Nigerian studying at the University of Cape Coast.