Widow of Nigerian man who died while being deported 'frustrated' body is still not home

The widow of a Nigerian man who died while being deported from Canada is upset his body still hasn't been returned home and is calling for an independent investigation into his death.

"She's very, very frustrated," said Elias Munshya, who is the lawyer for Bolante Alo'swidow, Oluseun.

Bolante Alo was on board a KLM flight destined for Amsterdam on Aug. 7 when he wasinvolved in an altercationwith two Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)officers.The plane was forced to returnto the gate, where the Calgary police airport unit was called to the scene.

Officers found the 49-year-old in medical distress. He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He left behind his wife and two sons in Nigeria.

KLMtweeted after the incident that, "the behaviour of a passenger led to a severe incident on board."

His death is being investigated by the Calgary police homicide unit.

'She can't leave the house'

Oluseun is Yoruba, which isan ethnic group in Nigeria. According to Yoruba custom, a grieving widow must stay inside the homeuntil her husband has been put to rest. So she has been waiting and praying for his return.

"She can't leave the house, so there is some urgency there," Munshya said. "What the family needs right now is the body to be returned."

He said the chief medical examiner in Calgary and the Alberta Health Services Calgary region have released the body, but they are waiting on the Nigerian government to issue a waiver for the body's transportation into the country.

The churchBolanteattended in Calgary had raised fundsto pay for hisbody to be returned to Nigeria for burial.

Oluseunis also calling for the release of her husband's cause of death.

An initial autopsy was inconclusive and Munshya said he was told recently it will be still be a number of months until that information is made available.

Bolantehad fought to remain in Canada throughmultiple claims for refugee status andhumanitarian and compassionate grounds for 13 years, saying his life would be in danger if he returned to his home country.

He was being detained in advance of his deportation as CBSAofficers believed he likely wouldn't appear voluntarily for his flight,due to comments he made saying he wouldn't allow himself to be removed from Canada.

CBSAsaid they were unable to comment on the incident as it's currently under investigation by police.

Nigerian man who died at Calgary airport remembered by community

6 years ago

Duration 2:19

Nigerian man Bolante Idowu Alo is being remembered by his community. He died at Calgary International Airport following an altercation with border officers as they tried to deport him. CBC's Carolyn Dunn reports.

Munshya said the family plans to call for an independent investigation into the death, but the first priority is ensuring the body is sent home.

He said they still haven't heard from a single person who was on flightKL678on Aug. 7.

"She wants people with knowledge to come forward," he said.

An Alberta social justice organization, Ribbon Rouge Foundation,is also calling for an independent investigation into Alo's death through an online petition.

Munshyasaid while the group did speak toOluseun, the petition is not an official request on behalf of the family.

The petition also calls for an overhaul of Canada's detention and deportation process, and a freeze on all current detentions and deportations until the investigation takes place.

CBChas reached out to Ribbon Rouge for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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