BIODUN AKOMOLAFE
The surveillance security meeting recently held between the Airport Command of Nigeria Police Force and stakeholders in Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos has started yielding results as a man suspected of vandalizing security equipment around the airport has been arrested.
The suspect, Samson Otache, a 20 year old man was according to the Police, arrested around 3.00am an Monday after he was suspected to have vandalized a Closed Circuit Television(CCTV) equipment installed around the airport with the removal of two big boxes of rechargeable batteries from the power panel of the CCTV camera.
The vandalized security is mounted at a converging point, between Ikeja and Agege Motor roads in the airport: opposite the Limousine buses and Car Park
Otache who eyewitnesses said approached the airport environment carrying a bag was least suspected had an evil mission, until after he had used the tools in his bag to remove two big sets of rechargeable batteries from the power panel of the CCTV.
The sources which spoke with African Business Travel News (ABTN) under the condition of anonymity said, ” We thought he was a destitute or lunatic just like others who wander and loiter about freely in the state and sometimes stray into the airport environment unmolested.
“We were not paying much attention to him until we observed that he was bringing tools out of his bag and started piercing apart the cover of the power panel of the CCTV. We wanted to shout on him, but we cautioned ourselves and began to watch his actions until he brought out the two batteries from the box. It was then we bounced on him and stopped him from escaping. We asked what he was doing with the batteries and the security equipment, when we observed that he couldn’t offer satisfactory explanations, we call in the police who arrested him and took him into their station at the domestic division,”.
Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Airport Command, Nigeria Police, Mr. Joseph Alabi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told ABTN that a young man of about 20 years who hailed from Benue State was arrested along the Airport road at about 3.00hrs on Monday a location very close to the airport’s Limousine Buses and Car Park along the Ikeja- Lagos Airport road while he was suspected to have vandalized a surveillance equipment around the airport”.
Alabi added that the suspect was still undergoing interrogations at the time our correspondent called on him to confirm the development..
The Command’s spokesperson who also said the suspect was cooperating with the police as the interrogation progressed, assured that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as the interrogation ended.
The vandalized CCTV equipment is part of the many of its type installed along the airport road from Ikeja to the international wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport around 2012, at the height of threats of possible attacks by militants groups in the country.
It would also be recalled that shortly after the installation of the surveillance equipment, a gang of armed robbers who were later arrested at different locations around the country, invaded the airport, killing some policemen and carted away some huge amount money in local and foreign currencies.
To further boost the security within and outside the airport environment, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mrs. Victory Menta had in June organized a security awareness meeting between the security agents attached to the airport and other stakeholders.
The meeting which was chaired by the her deputy, Mr. Omololu Bishi, enjoined every stakeholder within and around the airport environment to be on the lookout and alert the police immediately they observe suspicious movement, person or object within their vicinity..
