MMIA airport in Lagos
Airport security, Customs clash at Lagos Hajj terminal in ‘display of false sense of superiority’
[By VICTOR NZE]
Airport Security (AVSEC) agency has urged operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to respect its mandate of ensuring security at the country’s airports ‘in the interest of national security.’
AVSEC is the security arm of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
This, is however, as the NCS has responded to the allegation by the FAAN, calling AVSEC officials’ action as a ‘display of false sense of superiority.’
The warning by FAAN followed an incident last Thursday, at the Hajj and Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, when officials of the NCS reportedly ‘shoved aside the AVSEC officer’ stationed at the Gate 3 of the terminal to gain entrance into the airport, even as they allegedly ‘threatened to beat up the AVSEC officers’ if challenged.
FAAN, in a statement by its General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu (Mrs.), Monday, aid the incident of last Thursday, ‘was a blatant abuse of the privilege of bearing firearms by the NCS,’ which according to her, ‘has become a recurrent threat to the safety and security of our staff and our operations.’
FAAN in the statement titled; ‘Breach of Airport Security; Customs Officials forcefully open security gate,’ therefore, urged ‘urge all stakeholders to please respect our mandate by being of disciplined and professional conduct in the interest of national security and operational safety.’
“At about 1745mhrs 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, opened the gate for the Comptroller and his escorts to forcefully access the Security Restricted Area via the gate.
“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.
“This incident was a 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.
“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,” read the statement.
However, the Nigeria Customs Service has reacted to the FAAN allegation, as it described the incident involving its personnel and the AVSEC officials as ‘display of false sense of superiority.’
Responding via its official Twitter handle (@CustomsNG), Monday, the NCS urged its own operatives and those of the AVSEC to ‘engage and understand each other’s roles.’
“The senior officials of both agencies should engage and understand each other’s roles instead of this display of false sense of superiority,” NCS said.
