Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Jibrin S. Okutepa, has dragged Qatar Airways before the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing the airline of contractual breach, negligence, and what he describes as “unconscionable and oppressive” treatment that left him stranded across two continents.
In a suit filed on January 19, 2026, Okutepa alleges that Qatar Airways failed to honour multiple representations tied to a business-class Abuja–Toronto–Abuja ticket purchased for his attendance at the 2025 International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference in Canada.
According to court documents, the senior lawyer paid for the ticket after receiving promotional emails from the airline advertising a package that included transit visa assistance for Doha, hotel accommodation during stopovers, and related travel support. Okutepa says those representations formed the basis of a binding contract of carriage between himself and the airline.
The suit claims that after payment, Qatar Airways requested documents to process the promised transit visa and later issued confirmations, including a Stopover for the Purpose of Connection (STPC) receipt, detailing hotel bookings in Doha. However, the airline allegedly failed to process or provide the transit visa despite repeated assurances.
On October 29, 2025, Okutepa was reportedly checked in without issue at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and boarded the Doha-bound flight after ground staff assured him the visa would be ready upon arrival. That assurance, the suit alleges, proved false.
Upon landing in Doha, Okutepa says he was informed that no transit visa had been processed, forcing him to endure an overnight eight-hour layover at the airport without access to hotel accommodation. He claims to have incurred over $500 in feeding and incidental expenses as a result.
The ordeal allegedly worsened on his return journey. After completing his participation at the IBA conference in Toronto, Okutepa says Qatar Airways staff at Toronto Pearson International Airport refused to check him in for the return flight on November 10, 2025, citing the same missing transit visa—despite the airline’s earlier assurances that visa processing was its responsibility.
The plaintiff claims that all appeals, including to the airline’s station manager, were rejected. When he requested a ticket amendment to avoid transiting through Doha, the airline allegedly demanded a $5,000 fee. Upon his refusal to pay, Okutepa says he was denied boarding entirely and abandoned at the airport without alternative travel arrangements.
Left stranded, he says he paid for an overnight stay at a Toronto airport hotel before purchasing a fresh Ethiopian Airlines business-class ticket costing over $3,600 to return to Nigeria.
In the suit, Okutepa accuses Qatar Airways of negligence, breach of duty of care, wrongful denial of boarding, and unfair trade practices. He further alleges that the airline’s conduct reflects a pattern of treating Nigerian passengers with “scorn, contempt and indignity,” in violation of basic corporate governance and international aviation standards.
Among the reliefs sought are multiple declaratory orders, a public apology to be published nationally and on the airline’s website, refunds and special damages exceeding $7,000, ₦500 million in general damages, $500,000 in exemplary damages, interest at 21 percent, and ₦50 million in legal costs.
The suit also seeks a court order compelling Qatar Airways to publicly commit to improved customer care, compliance with international best practices, and responsible corporate conduct.
As of the time of filing, the airline had allegedly failed to respond to a formal pre-action demand letter sent by Okutepa’s lawyers.
The case is expected to test the obligations of international carriers operating in Nigeria and could have far-reaching implications for passenger rights, airline accountability, and consumer protection in cross-border air travel.
