A Nigerian citizen, Gideon Eze, has appealed to the Federal Government and relevant agencies to intervene over what he described as wrongful detention in Doha, Qatar’s capital, where he was held for six weeks without charge.
Eze’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said his client was travelling on Qatar Airways from Abuja to the United States on May 7, 2025, when his journey was abruptly terminated in Doha following a security screening incident at Hammad International Airport.
According to Effiong, Qatari security officials claimed to have discovered suspected illicit substances in Eze’s luggage during a routine check. However, multiple tests later confirmed that the items were harmless.
He said despite negative test results, Eze was removed from the aircraft, had his travel documents and phone seized, and was taken into custody. His luggage was repeatedly searched, but no illegal substance was found.
Eze said he was subsequently transferred to a detention facility in Doha, where he was held while further forensic analysis was conducted on the seized items. He alleged that he was compelled to sign a report written in Arabic during his detention.
He added that forensic tests carried out during the period of detention eventually confirmed that the items were non-narcotic. Eze was released on June 19, 2025, without any charge or conviction.
“I was ultimately freed without any legal basis for the accusation or detention,” he said.
Eze further disclosed that shortly after his release, he discovered that his United States visa had been revoked on May 12, 2025, reportedly due to the incident at the Doha airport.
He has now called on Nigerian authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take up his case and seek redress for what he described as a grave injustice.
