The agency recently announced measures and regulations
geared towards reducing extortion of travellers by officials at the airports to
its 'barest minimum'.
FAAN Managing Director, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, while making
the announcement recently in Abuja, said the new effort would go a long way in
improving security and integrity at the country's airports.
To show its seriousness this time, FAAN on Tuesday announced
the apprehension of a staff of Nigerian carrier, Arik Air, for soliciting and
collecting bribe from a passenger.
FAAN said, "Following an emergency FAAN management
meeting on the incessant extortion of passengers by airport officials at the
nation's airports and steps being taken to address the situation, a staff of
Arikairline had been apprehended while soliciting bribe from a travelling
passenger at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Lagos."
The agency immediately withdrew the On- Duty Card of the
erring staff and handed her over to the relevant security agency for
appropriate action in order to serve as deterrent to other bad eggs in the
airport.
In reaction, Arik Air management announced the suspension of
the staff in a statement, signed by the airline's spokesman Adebanji Ola, it
stated: "The management of Arik Air (in Receivership) has suspended with
immediate effect one of its staff caught by the Federal Airport Authority of
Nigeria for soliciting bribe at the domestic wing of the MurtalaMohammed
International, Ikeja, Lagos, pending further investigations.
"While the management conducts its own internal
investigation, we wish to reassure FAAN of our cooperation on this matter if
further investigation is required. We fully support what FAAN is doing to rid
our airports of this menace of corruption."
FAAN also noted, "Recent embarrassing online videos
where passengers complained of acts of extortion at the nation's airport had
necessitated the need to devise multi level strategies to curb the
menace."
But THISDAY findings indicate that this new determination by
FAAN to eliminate corruption at the airports, especially the nation's gateway,
MMIA is not going to be easy. Investigations carried out by THISDAY confirm
that the major officials who carry out extortion and solicit for bribery from
passengers operate in semi-autonomous manner, so are not directly answerable to
FAAN management.
These include officials of Nigerian Customs Service,
Quarantine, the Nigerian Immigration Service, the National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency (NDLEA) even security operatives attached to FAAN Aviation Security
(AVSEC).
These officials always claim that they get directives from
their head offices and therefore are not obligated to abide by the rule of
engagement directed by FAAN management.
On September 26, 2021, THISDAY carried out survey of
activities at the departure of the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed
Airport, Lagos and found out those NDLEA officials, Immigration and Quarantine
carved out spaces where they order passengers to come for the search of their
luggage.
The investigation revealed that beside the x-ray machine
which screens all passengers luggage at the entrance of the terminal, officials
of the NDLEA, the Department of State Service (DSS), Quarantine and AVSEC
located themselves in a booth where they direct every passenger to bring his
luggage for physical search immediately it comes out of the x-ray machine.
This forces the passengers to queue in disorderly manner and
form a crowd at the entrance of the terminal and the security operatives take
time to search every bag.
THISDAY gathered that the same old routine of forcing some
passengers to pay money or some of the things in their luggage would be seized,
was being carried out by the security operatives and the passengers who were
obviously in a hurry were paying so that they would be allowed to go to the
airlines processing counter to check in.
But the General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Mrs.
Henrietta Yakubu, told THISDAY that adequate measures have been put in control
to check the excesses of the security operatives who are not directly
answerable to FAAN.
She said that if there was any infraction, FAAN would
withdraw ON-Duty card from the official and then he would have to go and
explain to his office why the card was withdrawn.
She also said that there is new directive that every
official must wear his name tag clearly on his chest so that passengers would
see it and passengers have also been given numbers to call or send messages
towhen there is unfavourable interface.
In addition, cameras exposing areas of activities have been
activated along with signage, which warn officials that cameras are zeroed on
them.
Reacting to the new development, aviation security expert,
the CEO of Centurion Securities and former Commandant of MMIA, Group Captain
John Ojikutu (retd) warned, "Without involving the Airport Security
Committee, FAAN may bring conflicts within the multilateral government security
agencies in the airports. National Civil Aviation Security Committee and the
Airport Security Committee should see into the issue of extortion in the
airports, which cuts across all the government agencies in the airports. With
the level of homegrown terrorism, poverty, poor salaries or remuneration of
staff in the country, we should begin to have the fears of insider threats.
"The Airport Security Committee consists of: FAAN,
Customs, Immigration, police, DSS, military airport Commandant, AON, Foreign
Airlines Representative. Although the Nig CARs Part 17 (Nigeria Civil Aviation
Regulation, 2006, as amended) designates FAAN to coordinate the government
security agencies in the airport security programme, but that has been a
Herculean task for an agency established more for airports development and
management than security."
He added that all the government security agencies in the
airport are together more than four times the strength of FAAN security
personnel
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