Passengers miss flights amid protests along Ikeja, Oshodi axis

Passengers on Monday missed their flights as a result of the ongoing Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) protests which has paralysed activities and disrupted traffic along the Ikeja and Oshodi routes.

A visit by BusinessDay to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos showed passengers stuck in traffic, while some who were already around Ikeja carried their luggage on their heads and on bikes to avoid missing their flights.

However, some passengers still missed their flights despite the rush to meet up with their flights.

Some of the Protestants were seen blocking the roads and threatening those who challenged them to a fight, while other protestants also blocked bikes from gaining access to airport road, insisting that passengers will have to walk to the airport.

A passenger who identified himself as Chibuzor said he had an 11 o’clock flight to Abuja and left his house at Festac by 9 in the morning but was surprise to discover all the roads leading to the airport were blocked by protestants.

“I tried my best to get to the airport. It was very difficult to get a bike to the airport because a lot of them were stuck in traffic and those who were able to find their way to airport road were already carrying passengers. All efforts to get to the airport on time was futile as I still missed my flight.”

Read Also: Schools, Banks shut branches as #EndSARS protest spreads

Ado Sanusi, the managing director of Aero Contractors told BuisnessDay that Aero Contractors is currently looking at the situation and assured that the airline’s customer lines are open and passengers who wish to reschedule that flights can do that without issues.

“For now our flights are going as scheduled and if a certain percentage of our passengers are not on ground as at the time the passengers are suppose to board, we will look into the situation and probably delay flights a bit,” Sanusi said.

For the past two weeks, thousands of Nigerian youths have been on the streets demanding an end to police brutality, disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police, and comprehensive police reforms.

The protests have paralysed activities and disrupted traffic on major roads in many cities. In places where vehicular movements are not disrupted, residents battle with gridlock, especially in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power.

Nigerians had long launched a campaign online with the #EndSARS hashtag. The campaign trended across the world two weeks ago after celebrities volunteered to lead the protests against harassment and incessant killing of citizens by SARS.