UK family seeks £10,000 to repatriate woman, baby

Etim Ekpimah with agency report

A British family has launched a £10,000 fundraising appeal to repatriate the bodies of 40-year-old Claire Chadwick and her unborn daughter after both died in Nigeria following pregnancy complications.

Chadwick was 37 weeks pregnant and expecting a baby girl with her Nigerian husband, Ibrahim, when the tragedy occurred.

According to the Daily Mail, the unborn child died in the womb before Chadwick developed sepsis, which later progressed to septic shock and claimed her life.

Sepsis is a potentially fatal condition in which the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. In severe cases, it can cause organ failure and death.

Chadwick had reportedly relocated from the United Kingdom to Nigeria to start a new life with her husband. The couple regularly shared videos about their relationship, faith and food experiences on TikTok and Instagram.

Following the deaths, Chadwick’s sister, Shannon, established a GoFundMe campaign titled Bringing Claire Home, with a target of £10,000 to cover the cost of returning the bodies to Britain for burial.

Shannon said the family had been confronted with unexpected legal and logistical challenges in arranging the repatriation.

She explained that their priority was to bring both mother and daughter home so they could be buried with dignity, close to their loved ones.

“More than anything, we want them both returned so they can be laid to rest with dignity, surrounded by the family who love them,” she said.

Speaking to WalesOnline, Shannon disclosed that Chadwick was survived by her 19-year-old son, who lives in Wales, her husband and other relatives.

She described her late sister as a woman who lived life on her own terms and left a lasting impression on everyone she met.

The family also expressed gratitude to REST, a charity that supports relatives dealing with sudden or tragic deaths abroad, for its assistance.

Tributes have continued to appear on the fundraising page, with friends and acquaintances remembering Chadwick as kind, caring and someone who brought laughter to those around her.

The Daily Mail reported that it had contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment.