In his latest novel, That Ghost Flight to Abuja, acclaimed Nigerian author and researcher Chiedu Ndubisi, delivers a gripping aviation thriller that is as emotionally resonant as it is suspenseful. Set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s domestic airspace, the novel explores the terrifying unraveling of BlueHawk Flight 214; a routine journey from Lagos to Abuja that turns into a high-altitude nightmare.
What begins as a standard 55-minute flight quickly spirals into chaos when both pilots inexplicably exit the cockpit mid-flight, only to find themselves locked out upon return. With radio silence and no one at the controls, the Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers becomes a ghost flight drifting blindly over West Africa.
Onboard, a diverse cast of characters comprised of a teenage coder, a guilt-stricken flight attendant, a quiet intelligence officer, and weary mothers of faith, grapple with fear, faith, and courage as the situation deteriorates. Meanwhile, on the ground, families await news, and in Abuja’s corridors of power, a cover-up begins to take shape.
As fuel runs low and national security is triggered, the passengers must confront not only the threat of death but also the personal truths they’ve long buried. At the heart of the drama is Ifenna, a young boy who undertakes a daring crawl through the aircraft’s ceiling in a last-ditch effort to override the system and save everyone onboard.
Ndubisi’s storytelling is taut, emotionally layered, and piercingly human. That Ghost Flight to Abuja is more than a thriller; it’s a sobering reflection on systemic dysfunction, personal recklessness, and the fragile line between survival and catastrophe. The novel draws readers into a world where one wrong decision at 35,000 feet can turn a flight into a ghost story.
Chiedu Ndubisi is a Nigerian writer and researcher whose work interrogates corruption, resilience, and memory in modern African society. With a background in public policy and storytelling, he has earned acclaim for previous titles including Frontier Barrel, The Wrong Survivor: The BlueHawk 302 Story, Phantom Barrel, and The Kaduna Genome. His latest work cements his reputation as a powerful voice in contemporary African literature.
