FAAN raids MMIA cargo terminal, arrests woman, seizes goods

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Sunday seized cartons of beer, alcoholic drinks, foods and other displayed items at the cargo terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, after it raided the hide-outs of touts and unathorised persons.

Some other properties used by unathorised persons at the airport such as erected canopies with goods were also destroyed.

Uche Ukeni, chief security officer (CSO) of the terminal, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), led security men to the terminal where the people were hibernating.

He said a 31-year-old female suspect was arrested during the raid, adding that she would be taken to the Tango City Police Post inside the MMIA for prosecution.

Some of the things destroyed included canopies which contained assorted drinks. One of the canopies was not touched because a church service was taking place at the time of the raid.

Ukeni said that the authority had to conduct the exercise as a way of sanitising the cargo terminal from touts and hawkers carrying out illegal activities.

He said that such activities allowed people who have no business at the airport to stay around as touts, causing unnecessary panic and mayhem.

“We seized over 20 cartons of assorted beer, 15 cartons of assorted soft drinks, over 15 pieces of watermelon, one bunch of unripe plantain, five tubers of yam, we took away over five coolers of cooked rice and stew, over 50 cartons of bottled water, over 30 sachets of pure water and 10 pieces of pineapple.

“These seized items would be taken to the graveyard along the airside at the MMIA for destruction,” he said.

He explained that any person interested in operating business at the airport across the nation should approach the commercial department of FAAN for documents and approval.

The CSO said that the authority would continue to carry out the exercise, urging FAAN management to cut off the overgrown grasses opposite the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) cargo offices.