The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Friday withdrew the On Duty Cards of two Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) officers and banned them from working in any Nigerian airport after being found to have extorted N8, 000 from a 14-year-female passenger who was travelling aboard a Lufthansa Airline aircraft on February 19, 2022.
The mother of the teenage girl had taken to social media platforms to reveal the alleged activity of the two officers.
FAAN’s acting general manager, public affairs, Mrs. Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, said a team of FAAN aviation security officers were commissioned to investigate the allegation upon receiving information.
“Upon investigation, they found the allegation to be true, as the officers involved were identified with the help of footage 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,” she said.
According to her, “Their on-duty cards were also withdrawn permanently, and they have been banned from working in any Nigerian airport, to serve as a deterrent to others.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.”
Mrs. Hope-Ivbaze said “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.”
