£400 theft allegation at Lagos airport untrue, says FAAN
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has disproved a theft allegation by one Mr. Olakunle Tayo Fapohunda, who alleged that the amount of £400 was stolen from his wallet at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
In a letter written to the Authority recently, Fapohunda claimed that the money was stolen by the Aviation Security while undergoing baggage screening at the airport.
He wrote: ”Good day Sir/Ma,
“My name is Olakunle Tayo Fapohunda.
“I am a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I travelled from the Murtala Mohammed Airport to Heathrow Airport on Wednesday 22 December 2021 via Virgin Atlantic flight number VS 412.
“I passed through the scanner between 6.00 am and 6.30 am on that same day. I met two women who wore the Aviation Security uniform. The two women spoke Yoruba fluently.
“One is dark-skinned and slim. She is not so tall. The other one is light-skinned. I emptied my pockets in line with the policies and I put my wallet that was containing a sum of £1600 in the tray and I was asked to go back and bring out my second laptop which I had advertently left in my box.
“I sought to get my wallet and other items and go back but the dark-skinned lady asked me to leave them and just take the laptop alone back and scan. I obeyed and went back to get my item scanned. By the time it dawned on me that I had been robbed by this officer, I had boarded and it was too late for me to disembark.
“I lost a sum of £400 to this thief and it is in light of this that I am reporting her activities and urging your office to order that the CCTV camera be replayed. It is my turn today but it would be another person’s turn tomorrow.
“I urge you to please assist me through your good offices. I shall be willing and ready to answer your questions and queries.
“My details are as supplied below. My numbers are supplied below both in Nigeria and in the UK.
“Thank you and please accept the assurances of my highest regards.
“Olakunle Tayo Fapohunda.”
In reaction, the Authority said video evidence captured by the CCTV shows that the allegation was “untrue.”
In a statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, the Authority said it was able to establish that throughout Mr. Olakunle’s movement within the screening point, nobody removed anything from his tray.
It says, “With respect to the allegation by Mr. Olakunle Tayo Fapohunda, that two officials of Aviation Security connived, and pilfered the sum of £400 from his wallet while going through the scanning machine on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, en route London Heathrow on a Virgin Atlantic flight, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) will like to inform you that we have thoroughly investigated the allegation but found it to be untrue, as none of the two officers touched the tray as clearly shown by our CCTV footage.
“The only person who touched the tray was a NAHCO staff, who was immediately behind him and only pushed the tray forward to create space for her bag to come out of the x-ray machine. We were able to clearly establish that throughout Mr. Olakunle’s movement within the screening point, nobody removed anything from his tray.
“While we appreciate this feedback and will like to express our appreciation to him for the same, we will like to state that the Aviation Security Corp is a disciplined Corp that has consistently recovered and returned many items forgotten or lost by passengers over the years.
“Although we are mindful of the fact that it is not impossible to have a few bad eggs within the Corp, we will like to assure you that the Authority does not condone such acts of indiscipline, and we have conducted this investigation with utmost care and due diligence.
“We are open to making the contents of the CCTV footage available to Mr. Olakunle in case he wants to see it.
“Finally, while advising that we all should be careful with making public unsubstantiated allegations because such acts are capable of ruining the lives and careers of those involved, we will like to reassure our esteemed passengers that our airports are safe and secure, and our officers will continue to discharge their duties efficiently and professionally.”
