Customs undermine security procedures at Lagos airport cargo terminal

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Mrs Victoria Shin Aba, Regional General Manager, South/West, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN. Superintends over Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

Gun totting officers of the Nigeria Customs Service have viciously undermined the airport security at the cargo wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos as CSC Agunbiade led others in the entourage of Customs Area Comptroller, Hajj and Cargo Terminal, to demobilize the aviation security and gained access to the security restricted area at the gate 3 of the airport.

According to the media statement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and signed by Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, “at about 17.45hrs on Thursday, 20th January 2022, while the AVSEC officers on day duty at Gate 3 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport were profiling a NAHCO vehicle that wanted to access the Security Restricted Area (l) via gate 3, the Customs Area Comptroller for Hajj and Cargo Terminal suddenly emerged and pulled off the queue

In the statement signed by General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu Mrs, “CSC Agunbiade, a customs officer on the Area Comptroller’s entourage later shoved aside the AVSEC Officer at the gate, forcefully took over the gate and opened the gate for the Comptroller and his escorts forcefully accessed the Security Restricted Area via the gate” she stated.s

The media statement added that, while the customs officers conducted themselves in the most ungentle manly manner to access the restricted area, the armed escorts of the Customs Comptroller threatened to beat up anyone hindering their illegal access to controlled area.

The airport manager lamented that, “this blatant abuse of the privilege of bearing firearms by the NCS has become a recurrent threat to the Safety and Security of our Staff and our operations”, it stated.

The statement noted that, “while we (FAAN) keep on working to resolve all our challenges decisively, we hereby urge all stakeholders to please respect our mandate by being of disciplined and Professional conduct in the interest of national security and operational safety”.

No doubt the effective approach of resolving serious infraction that borders on airport security will call for a high powered meeting between the management of the airports and the leadership of all the security and paramilitary agencies.

À charter for an approved conduct by the military and the paramilitary and all those that bear arms need be developed by the airport managers to guide the conduct expected from everyone whenever in any of the airports.