Suspected Thieves Arrested in Aircraft

Two passengers were arrested Wednesday for theft inside an Abuja-bound Med-View Airline flight. They were on the flight, which took off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos when security officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) nabbed them while they were attempting to steal N1.5 million from the hand luggage compartment of the aircraft.

The flight, which was scheduled to depart at 9am was delayed because of the incident.

It was gathered that the suspects were arrested after a member of the cabin crew alerted security operatives when an argument ensued between two passengers over missing money from the luggage of one of the passengers.

Two of the passengers who were suspected by the victim were later subjected to body search and substantial amounts of money were found on them. It could not be ascertained how the accused persons knew that such a huge sum was in the victim’s bag.

The two men were later taken away and subjected to interrogation at FAAN’s Crime Investigation Bureau, from where they would be handed over to the police for further investigation.

Reacting to the incident, FAAN said that people engaged in nefarious activities at the nation’s airports would no longer find life comfortable as adequate security measures had been put in place to make the airports safer and better secured.

Meanwhile, the FAAN management has congratulated the officers and men of the Lagos Police Command for arresting the gang of armed robbers who raided the car park of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja on March 13 and dispossessed illegal bureau de change operators of huge sums of money.

It commended the gallantry and professionalism shown by the policemen who apprehended the robbers as a prelude to making them to face the wrath of the law.
The agency also lauded the police for  the cooperation the Airport Police Command has given to FAAN’s Directorate of Aviation Security Services in checking crime and other nefarious activities around the airports nationwide, especially the international airports, which are major gateways in the country.

FAAN said in collaboration with other security agencies at airports, it had recently put measures in place, including the employment of competent hands, to make the airports safer in line with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan and in recognition of the prevalent security situation in the country.

After the tragic robbery incident at the car park, about 200 metres to the airport terminal, FAAN had banned the illegal operation of bureau the change activities at the airports across the country.