Ikeja - The Joint Task Force at the Murtala Muhammed Airport , Lagos has arrested 17 touts for loitering and posing as protocol officers at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the airport.
The suspects, 15 men and two women were arrested during a raid carried out by the task force, comprising aviation security, police, Nigeria Air Force and the State Security Services (SSS).
Parading the suspected touts in Ikeja, the Commissioner of the Airport Command of the police, Mr. Saliu Hashimu, said the touts were arrested for not having accreditation issued by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Hashimu stated that the police were determined to rid the airport of people who had no genuine business being at the airport, adding that the mission of the police was to protect lives and property.
“One of our cardinal points is to protect lives and property and also to detect crimes. It is also part of our responsibility to enforce the law.
“Here at the airport, we want to ensure that sanity prevails and all forms of criminal activities are curbed,” he said. The airport police boss also stated that 11 touts were arraigned in court on Monday, noting that six were convicted while five were still awaiting trial. Speaking to newsmen, one of the touts, Friday Medunoye said he went to his former office at the airport to carry out some personal transactions when he was arrested.
His colleague, Samuel Job, 23, who claimed to have worked for Aero Contractors before he was retrenched this year, said he worked for a cargo firm and was at the airport to send a parcel through an airline when he was picked up.
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