Suspected thieves arrested on Abuja flight

Two passengers on an Abuja-bound Med-View Airline flight were on Wednesday arrested by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria( FAAN) security personnel for attempting to steal the sum of N1.5m from the hand-luggage compartment of the aircraft.

Confirming the development , FAAN General Manager, corporate communications  Mr Yakubu Dati said  the flight which was scheduled to depart MMA2 for Abuja at 9.00am , but had to be  delayed due to  the incident.

Dati explained that the attention of FAAN’s Aviation Security personnel was called to the said aircraft by the cabin crew of the airline when an argument ensued between two passengers over missing money from the luggage of one of the passengers, who raised an alarm

Two of the passengers who were suspected by the passenger who raised the alarm were later subjected to body search and substantial amounts of money were found on them.

The two men were later taken away and are undergoing preliminary interrogation at FAAN’s Crime Investigation Bureau, from where they would be handed over to the Police for further investigations.

 Dati said :” FAAN wishes to assure the public, especially passengers, that people engaged in nefarious activities at our airports, will no longer find life comfortable at our airports, as adequate security measures have been put in place to make our airports safer and more secure.”

Meanwhile, a source at the airport hinted that the suspected passengers trailed the man from the bank where he collected the money.

On arrival at the MMA 2, the suspects were said to have monitored the other passenger to Medview  Airlines counter, bought tickets  and  solicited from the personnel at the check in counters to put their seats near the other passenger, to enable them put their black bag at the same overhead cabin compartment.

The source hinted that as the suspected thieves stood up to collect the money in a black nylon bag  from the overhead cabin compartment, the owner got suspicious to check his bag for his personal items for prayers, when he observed that his bag was open, and the money had disappeared, forcing him to raise alarm.

As an argument ensued, the pilot directed that the aircraft could not embark on the flight, until some security checks were carried out,which led to the discovery of the money on the seat of the suspected passengers.

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