Toyin Lawani Accuses British Airways Staff of Abelism at Ghana Airport

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Summary: Fashion entrepreneur and CEO of Tiannah’s Place Empire, Toyin Lawani, has accused British Airways staff of verbally and physically abusing her, discriminating against her disability and obstructing her travel at a Ghana airport. She described the incident on Instagram as traumatising, saying she was threatened, physically attacked and forced to buy a new ticket.

Fashion entrepreneur and CEO of Tiannah’s Place Empire, Toyin Lawani, has accused staff of British Airways of mistreating her at a Ghana airport, alleging verbal abuse, intimidation, physical assault, and discrimination linked to her disability. On Instagram, she shared her experience, describing the incident as traumatising and calling for accountability.

Explaining her medical condition, Toyin reveals that she lives with a degenerative spine disease and has a spinal implant, which requires her to use a walking stick and wheelchair assistance at airports. She also revealed that a trachea injury affects her speech, making it difficult to raise her voice without experiencing physical distress.

She stated that her flight to the United Kingdom was scheduled for 9:10 p.m., and she had already checked in online before arriving at the airport check-in counter at 7:40 p.m. She said she encountered over ten passengers still waiting in line, but was told the counter had already closed.

“They closed the barricade and said they had stopped checking in, even though they were still checking in other people on the queue,” she said. “They were rude, nasty, and dismissive, not even paying attention to us, even though we kept pleading.”

The situation escalated when Lawani claimed a staff member was seen checking in another passenger discreetly. A video was reportedly recorded but later deleted at the passenger’s request, whose face appeared in it.

The fashion entrepreneur further alleged that after the staff member noticed she was being recorded, she became aggressive and issued threats. She claimed the confrontation turned physical when she attempted to record the staff member again.

“She hit me and smashed my phone out of my hand. I was in total shock, my body started shaking,” Toyin said, describing the incident as deeply distressing.

She also accused British Airways staff of calling the police to intimidate her and force the deletion of evidence, adding that one police officer restrained her despite her medical condition. Toyin also alleged that multiple staff members later ganged up on her, made derogatory remarks, and physically attacked her instead of de-escalating the situation.

As a result of the incident, Toyin was unable to travel as planned and had to purchase a new ticket costing over $3,000 to return home, missing a scheduled medical appointment in the process.

Concluding her post, Toyin Lawani said she was verbally abused, physically assaulted and mocked for her disability, and called for accountability from the airline.

“British Airways will pay for having representatives who hit their passengers,” she said, urging anyone who knows the staff member involved to identify her.