About 17 persons suspected to be touts and other miscreants making life difficult for passengers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos were arrested during a midnight raid at the Lagos Airport.
African Travel Business News (ABTNEWS) was reliably informed by sources who witnessed the scene that the raid which was conducted between 12:15 am and 02: 15am on Saturday 29, 2023, was led personally by
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Military Airport Commandant, Group Captain ED Okolo.
The sources affirmed that about 17 persons without genuine means of identification and or mission, were arrested during the raid that covered the arrival and departure halls of both the old and new terminals and car parks of the international airport.
The sources who expressed surprises at the number of persons arrested during the raid, wondered what the suspects were looking for in the Airport at those hours of the night when all airport, airline staff and other ancillary personnel had closed operations for the day and left for their respective homes.
An AVSEC personnel who spoke with our correspondent on telephone, under the condition of anonymity, because it doesn’t have authority to comment on the development, said the aim of the raid was to rid the airport of touts and other miscreants who have over the years made life difficult for passengers and other eligible users of the facilities within the airport.
ABTNEWS also gathered from other sources that suspects were arrested while in deep sleep under staircases and check-in counters; where they wake up to continue with their usual illegal activities as soon as flight operations resume in the morning.
The sources confirmed that the suspects were taken to Tango City of Aviation Security (AVSEC) Directorate of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for
documentation before onward transfer to the Police.
The sources however suggested that this type of raid should not be a one-off occurrence, but should be conducted at irregular intervals until the airport is completely free of touts and other miscreants.
It would be recalled that the NAF personnel on duty patrol at the airport arrested a suspected armoured cable vandal about a week ago.
It should also be on record that since the assumption of office by the Commander National Air Defence Cor, (NADC), Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore IV Ajiboye and the Military Airport Commandant Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain ED Okolo at the Lagos Airport, the environment has witnessed a lot of significant changes on how security apparatuses have been effectively and efficiently deployed to nib would be security breaches in the bud.
