The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says it permanently banned two immigration officials from the country’s airports after they extorted money from a passenger.
FAAN said anonymous officials collected N8,000 from a 13-year-old girl traveling on Lufthansa Airline, prompting her mother to complain on Twitter.
The incident took place on February 19 at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
An investigation confirmed that officials took money from the passenger and were forced to repay the amount, FAAN spokesman Faithful Hope-Ivbaze said in a statement Friday.
The investigation, which included a review of security cameras at the airport, was carried out with the support of the Nigerian Immigration Service, and the offending staff’s service cards were “permanently withdrawn”.
Extortion is common at Nigerian airports and passport offices, where officials often ask passengers and applicants for tips or inflate the cost of their services. Airport officials sometimes try to force passengers to pay on the pretext that they did something wrong.
The government has not addressed the problem despite repeated promises. In October 2021, NIS Acting Comptroller General Isah Jere disguised himself as a passport applicant and caught two officers charging additional passport fees.
In February, FAAN said it arrested 90 airport employees and strangers at Lagos and Abuja airports for extortion and other crimes.
“We would like to congratulate the girl’s mother, who has confirmed receipt of the money, for seeing fit to escalate the case and help us tremendously in the course of our investigation. In addition, we would like to express our gratitude. to the Immigration Comptroller’s Office,” FAAN said in its statement.
“The Authority will continue to identify and sanction any airport official (instigating FAAN officials) found to be extorting passengers or perpetuating any act of illegality at our airports.”