Nigerian fashion designer and entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has accused staff of British Airways (BA) of physically and verbally abusing her at the airline’s check-in counter in Accra, Ghana, an incident she says caused her to miss her flight and incur significant financial and medical setbacks.
Lawani, owner of Tiannah’s Empire, who lives with a degenerative spine disease and relies on a walking stick, said the incident occurred as she attempted to collect her boarding pass and drop her luggage for an Accra-to-United Kingdom flight. According to her account, she arrived at the BA counter at exactly 7:40pm, about 90 minutes before departure, only to be told that check-in had closed.
In a statement shared online, Lawani said she found several passengers still being processed despite the barricade being closed against her.
“Due to traffic I got to the counter 7.40pm on the dot. I saw 10 or more people on queue. I was meant to pick up my boarding pass and drop my bags. They closed the barricade and said no, that they had stopped checking in even though they were still checking in all the other people on queue,” she said.
The situation reportedly escalated when Lawani’s companion began recording a British Airways staff member who was assisting another passenger at the side of the counter. Lawani alleged that the staff member became aggressive upon noticing the recording, shouting and threatening to ensure she would not travel even if she rebooked her ticket.
“Next thing, this lady kept screaming at us at the top of her voice aggressively, saying if we don’t delete the video she will make sure I don’t travel, even if I rebook my ticket,” she added.
Lawani further alleged that during the confrontation, a staff member struck her phone out of her hand and that others mocked her limp, despite her visible disability. A 40-second video circulating online captures part of the altercation, showing a heated exchange at the counter, though opinions have been sharply divided online over what the footage proves.
She said airport police were called to the scene and reviewed the incident but did not side with the airline. Nevertheless, Lawani missed her flight, was forced to reschedule critical hospital appointments in the UK, and spent over $3,000 on a new ticket.
The designer has since demanded a formal apology from British Airways, a full investigation into the conduct of its staff, and compensation for the financial losses and distress she claims to have suffered.
As of the time of reporting, British Airways has not publicly responded to the allegations.
