Follow Us on Google
Louis Ibah
Security personnel from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) attached to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos on Thursday arrested two officials from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for attempting to illegally traffic some Nigerian girls out of the country through the airport.
The arrested officers were simply identified as O. Arayinbo and Awosanmi G.
The two officers were off-duty when they committed the crime.
“The arrested officers had attempted to traffic six underage girls to Omar and Kuwait aboard Ethiopian Airlines before they were arrested,” a source who witnessed their arrest told aviation reporters.
“Officials of Aviation Security (AVSEC), a department under the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN), apprehended the two immigration officers at the departure hall of the Lagos international airport when they attempted to escort the six girls to board the aircraft. The officers had attempted to evade arrest, but the combined security agencies at the airport ensured they were arrested.
“The officers have been taken to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further prosecution,” added the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
It was also learnt that five officers of immigration were recently arrested by the police for also attempting to aid the trafficking of Nigerian girls through the Lagos airport.
Spokesman for immigration Mr. James Sunday has confirmed the arrest of the officers.
He added that the arrested officers would be transferred to the NIS headquarters in Abuja for appropriate disciplinary action, stressing that the service would not tolerate such act of indiscipline among its members.
