The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has denied an airport worker who attempted to implicate a passenger in a drug trafficking plot.
A rival video which shows a passenger slapping an airport worker (name withheld) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, in Lagos has sparked outrage and calls for investigation.
The passenger, who was travelling to Accra, Ghana’s capital, accused the airport worker of tempering with his luggage in an attempt to plant illicit drugs. The worker claimed to be a staff of FAAN.
However, in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Obiageli Orah, FAAN said the worker was not its staff.
“The Authority wishes to set the records straight by stating that the officer being manhandled in the video is not a staff of FAAN. He has been identified as a member of the staff of Pathfinder Company,” the statement read.
Orah reiterated FAAN’s dedication to a drug-free society and “zero tolerance for drug peddling through its airports.”
The drug which was later identified as “New Age Glucosamine Chondroitin Sulfate Complex” is classified as an illicit substance by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Meanwhile, the video which was posted on social media, went viral with many users calling for a thorough investigation and prosecution of the airport worker.
“We had a drug case a few years ago, and the defendant, who came from Nigeria, swore and cried profusely that he was not the owner of the drug and sincerely was [not] aware of how that drug got to his luggage, but none of us believed him. Since I saw this video, I [have] felt maybe, just maybe, we didn’t do our best for him, and he may have been a victim,” wrote Baron Chymaker.
Another user, Usman Shamaki said the incident should incite a review of all drug trafficking arrest cases by the NDLEA.
“In a sane society, this incident should immediately trigger a review of all arrests and convictions, as well as an investigation into all officials at the airport. But this is Nigeria. We’ll just say ‘Oh well’ and move on,” he said.
