Some officials of Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS) at Hajj/Cargo terminal Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos Command of the Nigeria Customs Service threw caution into the air and engaged in the break of Airport security by forcefully opened the security gate at the cargo terminal.
The incident happened under the watch of Comptroller of the Command, Dan Galadima who was in his car when the incident occurred.
A statement by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), through its spokeswoman, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the customs personnel shoved aside Aviation security personnel on the duty at gate before carried out the breach.
“At about 1745hrs on Thursday, January 20, 2022, while the AVSEC officers on day duty at Gate 3 were profiling a NAHCO vehicle that wanted to access the Security Restricted Area (SRA) via gate 3, the Customs Area Comptroller for Hajj and Cargo Terminal suddenly emerged and pulled off behind the NAHCO vehicle that was being attended to and 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 to forcefully access the Security Restricted Area via the gate,” FAAN alleged.
The added, “While accessing the gate, the armed escorts to the Comptroller threatened to beat up the Avsec officers at the gate if they dare resist their assault and breach of security.”
The Airport Authority however noted that personnel of the NCS, who bear arms, are in the habit flagrant disobedience to security measures in the airport with threat to deal with AvSec personnel who are not armed.
“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,” FAAN insisted.
The airport Authority however called on the stakeholders in the Airport environment to obey Aviation security regulations even as it resolves existing challenges.
“While we 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,” FAAN appealed.
Abuse of privilege is akin to Nigerians in power. Of a fact, the more laws you break, the more supposedly powerful you are. I hope we get it right one day.
Exactly what we have been talking about, this set of people always feel untouchable. They deployed them from the northern part of the country to Lagos, they have no regards to anyone or any agency, they often see the airport as their personal enterprises. Very unruly and unprofessional set of human being.