Two officers of the Nigeria Immigration service NIS, Murtala Muhammad International airport MMIA Lagos have been stripped of their on duty card and subsequently banned from airport operations by the federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN
The officers were alleged to have extorted the sum of eight thousand naira from a fourteen year old girl travelling on Lufthansa fliggt in February 2022.
FAAN in a statement signed by the Acting General manager corporate Affairs, Faithful Hope-Ivbaze stated that ” Following a tweeted allegation on the 19th of February 2022 by the mother of a 14 year old girl travelling on Lufthansa Airline that two officials of the Nigeria 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 Nigeria Immigration service.
The statement further reads that “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 Their On Duty Cards were also withdrawn permanently, and they have been banned from working in any Nigerian airport to serve as deterrent to others.
“We would like to commend the mother of the child, who has confirmed receipt of thr money, for deeming it fit to escalate the case and assisting us tremendously in the course of our investigation ”
FAAN also commended the NIS Comptroller MMIA, and her team for the cooperation and support in addressing the issue.
FAAN noted that it will continue to indentify and sanction any airport official including FAAN officials found to be extorting passengers or perpetrating any act of illegality at our airports.
Meanwhile the Nigerian Immigration service NIS, has also approved the removal of the two officers from the airport for unprofessional conduct.
The NIS in a statement by its service public relations officer Amos Okpu said the Acting Comptroller General Idris Jere, has Zero tolerance for all forms of misconduct and urged members of the public to report all instances of poor conduct by officers
He stated that ” After diligent investigation by the committee headed by the lagos Airport Comptroller NIS KN Nandap, two personnel were found culpable of unprofessional action in the handling of clearance process of the passenger. They have been withdrawn from the airport and all former privileges as operatives at the airport stripped off them.
They are currently undergoing necessary disciplinary procedures in line with the directives of the Acting Comptroller General.
