FAAN bars two NIS officers from Nigerian airports
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has barred two officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) from working at any airport in the country.
The authority said the two officers, who were assigned duty at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, extorted the sum of N8, 000 (Eight thousand Naira) from a 14-year old girl who was billed to travel on Lufthansa Airline.
In a statement signed by Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mrs Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, the authority said it got the hint of the allegation from the girl’s mother, who took to Twitter on the 19th of February 2022 to announce the incident.
“Following a tweeted allegation on the 19th of February 2022 by the mother of a 14year old girl travelling on Lufthansa Airline that two officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service extorted the sum of eight thousand naira from her daughter, a team of FAAN Aviation Security officers were commissioned to investigate the allegation.
“Upon investigation, they found the allegation to be true, as the officers involved were identified with the help of footages on our CCTV facility, and the cooperation from the Nigerian Immigration Service.
“Consequently, the officers were made to refund the exact amount collected from the passenger.
“Their On-Duty Cards were also withdrawn permanently, and they have been banned from working in any Nigerian airport, to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We would like to commend the mother of the child, who has confirmed receipt of the money, for deeming it fit to escalate the case, and assisting us tremendously in the course of our investigation.
“Also, we would like to express our appreciation to the Comptroller of Immigration, MMA, and her team for her cooperation and support in addressing this issue.
“The Authority will continue to identify and sanction any airport official (including FAAN officials) found to be extorting passengers or perpetuating any act of illegality at our airports,” the authority said.
