Laolu Opebiyi was using WhatsApp to
arrange a
conference call prayer session with friends, as the Amsterdam-bound
flight was waiting to take off at Luton airport on Thursday February 25
when a passenger next to him questioned him about message that included
the word 'prayer' asking "What do you mean by prayer?"
The
40-year-old Nigerian-born business analyst from London explained
to the passenger that he was preparing to pray with friends. Few
minutes later, he was pulled off the flight by two firearms officers. It
is thought the man misread the name of Mr Opebiyi's prayer group
“ISI men” – which stands for "iron sharpens iron” from a Bible quote –
as Isis.
Mr Opebiyi told the Guardian: "That guy doesn’t know me and within two minutes
he’s judging me. Even if I was a Muslim, it was pretty unfair the way I
was treated. If we keep on giving into this kind of bigotry and
irrational fear, I
dare say that the terrorists will have achieved their aim."
Mr Opebiyi was taken into questioning by police and quizzed about
his Christian faith and where he attends church. He was forced to hand
over his phone and password so officers could check his communication.
He was eventually freed and allowed to catch another flight about three hours later.
Seven other passengers reportedly got off the flight fearing a terror threat and also took the next plane, Guardian reports.
A spokeswoman for Bedfordshire Police said: "Officers attended and a
passenger was removed from the flight as part of the enquiries. Officers
notified easyJet that they were satisfied that there was no concern
around the passenger travelling."
A spokeswoman for easyJet who apologised over the
incident said: "Easyjet can confirm that following concerns raised by
passengers, the captain of flight EZY2151 from Luton to Amsterdam
requested the assistance of the authorities who took the decision to
disembark and question the passenger. The safety and security of its
passengers and crew is our highest priority which means that is a
security concern is raised we will always investigate it as a
precautionary measure. After questioning by the authorities, the
passenger was cleared to
complete his journey so easyJet arranged a later easyJet flight for
him. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to the
passenger"
The officers
cleared Mr Opebiyi for flight but the pilot refused to let him on and he
was made to wait a further three hours to board the next flight to
Amsterdam. He told the Guardian that he is aftraind that he is on a
terrorist watchlist.
"I stand in uncertainty about my freedom of movement in the UK" he said.
83 comments:
Since they are rules,,, then the authority is right
The same U.k that colonized my great country Nigeria treating us this way? God punish them. Linda if i see any of the school advert here again I won't take it lightly with you trust me. These people are so annoying What do they take us for. and even when u go to their country they teach you like shit. God punish them ×2
Orisirisi
Hmmm what a world.
Those useless armed police must be terrorist pedophile worshipers Muslim imaging because of prayer if na Muslim now the will allow them against threat hmmmm.
British is a Muslim country i know.
Pedophile terrorist mohammed is waiting for all Muslim in hell i can't imagine how large hell fire will be.
#sad indeed
Do you blame dem. Linda take note!
Na wa
Choi.. Embarssement plus everytin...
Nawa oo. U wont fault d passenger becox hez even afraid sef.
All dis terrorist attack..
Tnx goodness he was freed at last
Enugu's second shoe designer
Na wah ooo
Seven other passengers reportedly got off the flight fearing a terror threat and also took the next plane, Guardian reports. Lol nobody wan die! I just dey laff
Britons are odes. All they know is fear, colonisation and racism. God will judge!
You can't be too careful in a matter that concerns life. I don't blame easyjet
Hmmmm...Issorait
You can't be too careful in a matter that concerns life. I don't blame easyjet
when terrorists start making a whole society this paranoid,well the psychological war is been won by them.
But why should i care, Yoruba's treat others far worse.
Na wa oh
he must have spoke yoruba in a rude and loud dem usual way
Unfortunately this is how the U.K. Works, they are on high terrorist alert due to past events so it's not about race or the man himself, it's sad it had to be him but it could have been anyone else actually! Stop being ignorant people
Yoruba's are not any better.
That's just some collateral damage in the fight against terrorism. That man shouldn't have been checking his phone though.
The passenger is just being security conscious. I don't blame him though it's not funny to be accused wrongly.
Stern stern!
Anum gi nazu
Stern stern!
Anum gi nazu
Take that your prayer and beliefs out of public gatherings next time. Your religious overzealousness should be a private thing not to be brought in to a public flight. Take that shit to Nigeria, we don't need nonsense here.
Ur bad mouth sha!! Lol
Vigilance @ the highest order, them say person wey snake kill him mama, if him see earthworm na to pick race ooo.
When did people start peeping into other people's phones
Imagine madness....
I've known this guy from eau back. He's been a deep born again since secondary school. How could they mistake a 'deep' Christian for a terrorist?!!!!
They're so stupid for doing that...
Wonders .... Wonderment ~Swash says so
lollll who get energy kwan
-D great anonymous now as Vivian Reginalds
You lack sense o and I kept wondering you future and the kind of kids u would breed cos it's clear u can read to understand and ur brain has refused to function well it's either u ve once hit ur head on d ground or u re just practicing it mofo
You cannot entirely blame these people tho'.
Na wa oo
No blame dem, my brother nobody wan die.
#FINEST
May Allah guide you
Its just a pre-cautious measure that had to take,so sorry mr prayer lol.
Hmm nawa
Den come back home
You need not imagine,you're also going there.
You are the most irritating thing on this blog , may u die a painful death and rot in hell, may u knw no peace as long as u live , you will surely live a hopeless life ,I hate u with so much venom,u have nothing but hateful words coming out of u, u must live such a miserable life , your day of doom is so near , u miserable soul.
It's better to switch off all communication gadget when on board.
Don't blame anybody oo. We should be on guard 24hrs. Else the enemey will strike.
See wahala wey ISLAM Don cause. Islam no be better religion or. In fact it is a useless religion
Wahala
Great Bros off all the names for a serious prayer group it most be ISI, he is not serious. In fact the would have grilled him some more
All I see is that Guy Eyes, *winks**
It will definitely be full cos trust me u and all ur likes are ending there
Is ok
It's an unfortunate incident but the safety of all passengers including Mr Opebiyi is important. Terrorist are ordinary people like you and I.
He was not singled out because he is black or Has Nigerian ancestors. Anyone can be subject to search for security reasons.
God dey. This is all bcos of Buhari
Is ok
All cos of BuharI.
Berx Ola, I am on the same page with you as globally now, everybody is expected to be very conscious of security-related issues. For those who do not know or were not even born then, the first military coup in 1966 was code-named 'exercise damisa' whilst coup attempted to remove IBB was tagged 'farm projects. So, the co-passenger who felt un-comfortable with "ISI men" and "prayer" was right to think the way he did. Everybody was fairly treated as investigation proved.
Ur a fool. The British destroyed us. Let me tell u the truth . Only the Yorubas have their nation. Its time for the igbos should think and start building the eastern region. Mumu the British don't give a fuck about us
. Biafra knew about it from the start. We in Africa are not slaves and now we are free to rule our selves . Stren ur a fool . Stop making enemies with black Africans. We can negotiate. The British ate the poison
....but like u said, ' we were colonised by them'! To them we remain a 2nd class nation that couldn't even improve on the hurriedly and sparse resources 'they' put together for us before they left. Calm your horses bro. To only way to get even is to get our act right as a people and a nation.
Dat oyibo is madt
When you reach there come back and tell us.
Whala dey ooooooo.
That's what you get for letting a stranger see your msg. That guy is not street smart(Ajebota) and definitely not brought up in Lagos
Anonymous wey say Islam is a useless religion, I won't insult u. I pray u come to ur senses. U dnt insult other people's religion.
Can everyone just chill. So much hate! Why are people so angry? How could training curses on strangers win you any battles? The person raining abuse even seems more stressed than the one who they are cursing.
Freeborn, I pray blessings onto you, may your heart be filled with peace, may the pain and suffering you've endured that has hurt you, be eased. May you live long and prosper. May your heart be filled with light and your eyes come to see kindness, love and peace in your many days to come.
Be encouraged and be of strong heart and mind, do not believe in the curses of those who know nothing but hate.
They expose themselves, you live and grow in strength dear friend. Bless those who curse you, do not hate anyone. It is not worth it.
Amen! Bringing their religious fundamentalism everywhere.
Things are changing for Africa, so any terror group is from nigeria, abi
Noted
This man aided my spiritual growth!!! I've known him for years!!! He is certainly not what he was accused of.
Fear and assumptions don't keep us safe instead they hold us back
You really should read before judging. What is public about discussing your religion on your phone via whatsapp. The truth is it was all a giant misunderstanding started by a nosy man who had to spy on someone's chat.
You do know what "acronym" means right? The combination of the letters ISI, ISIS, ISIL has not been trademarked yet😁. Anyways I will concede that people should be careful tho because of the times.
It's nt der fault. Linda observe!
Anon 10:00 why are you cursing you both are almost the same thing. Freeborn is abusing and you are cursing like you created him. Why so much hate from humans. Our heart filled with so much bitterness, hate. Let us learn to love and concentrate on our own race to heaven. Na wah oo @maunne
C your life @maunne
Lolzzz how buhari take enter this matter now. @maunne
I hope he's suing the pilot for discrimination (especially after he was cleared & still denied service by a bigot), the airline & the idiot who was looking at his phone
The passenger is just being security conscious. I don't blame him though it's not funny to be accused wrongly.
I support them, better safe than sorry
@London playboy, you must be an idiot. Did you even read what was written abi u just hurry come post crap. The passenger looked at a wassap message on HIS PHONE, that is invasion of privacy to start with.and for the anonymous that was wondering why his prayer group should be called ISI, what is wrong with the acronym? there is a great difference between ISIS & ISI, So because there's a terrorist group called ISIS every similar acronym should be discarded okwaya?
The passenger that raised the alarm and the pilot are racists...simple and short
ISI Men? I don't blame the passenger. That is the first thing that comes to mind. Mutalab boarded a plane just like that. He could have killed hundred. One embarrassing moment to Laolu is worth the safety of everyone. ISI + prayer sends a red flag. If you were sitting next to him, what would have been your conclusion? Better to be safe than sorry.
Poor guy ! He is a pastor!
Do they now check phones and whatsapp messages before boarding people? Anyway let me not provoke cos I didn't read the post sef. Just commenting based on the topic.
OMG! It's Pastor Laolu of HOTR London. Aww, he's such a cool chap. E no go better for all them terrorists. See wahala o.
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