Kudos as FG moves to rid airports of bad eggs

IT is cheering to know that after years of traumatic experiences suffered by airport users particularly air travellers in the hands of the different perpetrators of illegalities across the country’s airports with major focus on the international airports, the Federal Government seems to be waking up from its slumber to address the problem.

It is a fact that a group notorious for defrauding naive travellers through touting, extortion and other illegal strategies, have for years operated seamlessly due to the lackadaisical attitudes of the previous authorities.

Many air travellers, including foreign nationals, have had sad stories to tell regarding how they had fallen into the antics of these undesirable elements who used the lacuna in security apparatus existing at the airports to swindle them.

Among the victims of these criminality were those with ‘virgin’ passports or first time travelers and first time visitors to the country.

Unfortunately, some of those traced to the heinous crimes are those who should be protecting travellers and other airport users as they use their positions to make the government’s policy of ease of doing business at the airports a mirage.

Among these dangerous cliques are virtually all those posted to the international airports to protect activities therein, but who got carried away to use their uniforms to engage in corrupt practices.

It is no longer hidden to see how the uniform personnel spreading across the categories of police, customs, immigrations, NDLEA, military and even the Aviation Security (AVSEC), a directorate under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had, for years, held many travellers to ransom with the aim of squeezing money out of them.

Besides, the uniform personnel, there is another notorious group, popularly known as touts, who are mostly former workers of the airlines who having been disengaged by their employers,  found their way back to the airports pretend to help passengers to  purchase their tickets only to disappear with their money or issue them fake tickets.

The activities of these criminals have placed Nigeria on the evil map drawn particularly by those citizens of other nationals affected as hardly will a week pass by that the shenanigans of the bad eggs will not find their way on the social media networks.

As years go by, the illegalities, which continued unabated have made many of the perpetrators become so comfortable that they cannot survive outside the airports.

It’s on record that some of those involved in this crime whenever they are posted out of the airports, worked their way back while those who are not supposed to be on duty sneak back in their mufti attires to continue in their game of extortion.

It is on this premise that the announcement by the minister and the MD of FAAN to clamp down on these miscreants is a welcome development as this will not only rid the airports of the shameful acts but repair the battered image of the country.

In carrying out raids and subsequent prosecution of anyone caught, it is also pertinent to let government know that the move may not be that easy as the unscrupulous elements work together as a ring.

They have a large network spreading across the uniform personnel, ground handling companies, airlines and even those carrying out allied businesses at the airports.

This is why the involvement of the office of the National Security Adviser in the critical project is a welcome development that will go a long way in fishing out those who belong to the criminal network and coordinating the task force to ensure they don’t abuse the situation.

It may also not be out of place to involve the top hierarchy of the armed forces whose men have been fingered in the corrupt and criminal activities. All other relevant bodies consisting of aviation agencies, airlines, handling companies and private companies doing businesses at the airports should not be exempted from the searchlight.

However, the efforts of clamping down on the  miscreants should be complemented with the urgent need to conduct background data checks on all the workers of the relevant organisations  and companies with a view to checking their level of resilience against any compromise and temptation for corrupt practices while on duty.

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