THE Ondo State Police Command, on Monday, March 16, denied a claim by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) that bandits were arrested at Akure Airport.
A statement by the command’s spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, said “no such incident occurred at the Akure Airport, and there was no security breach of any kind at the facility.”
While FAAN did not categorically report any security breach at the airport, it announced that four suspected bandits were apprehended “within the vicinity of the Akure Airport” following a joint security operation involving aviation security, the Army, Air Force, Police and other security agencies.
In a press statement dated March 15, FAAN stated that “four suspected bandits were today apprehended within the vicinity of Akure Airport, Ondo State, following a coordinated security operation involving aviation and local security agencies.”
According to the organisation, the arrest followed a distress alert about suspicious individuals seen behind the airport perimeter near the Eleyewo community.
“The arrest followed a distress alert that suspicious individuals were sighted behind the airport perimeter towards the Eleyewo community. In response, security personnel comprising FAAN’s Aviation Security (AVSEC), the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and other local security outfits immediately launched a joint search operation,” the statement read.
The agency further claimed that four suspects were eventually apprehended by the joint security team and were handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Area Command for further interrogation.
However, the police in Ondo State, whose officers participated in the arrest, dismissed the claim.
In a statement, the police said: “The Ondo State Police Command wishes to categorically refute the misleading reports currently circulating across some media platforms alleging that four bandits were arrested at the Akure Airport.”
The command stressed that the incident did not happen in the airport vicinity.
According to the police, operatives acted on intelligence about suspected kidnappers operating around the Eleyewo axis of Akure, which led to the arrest of two suspects.
“The command, however, received credible intelligence from a concerned citizen regarding the activities of suspected kidnappers around the Eleyewo axis of Akure. Acting swiftly on the tip-off, operatives of the command launched a targeted operation in the area which led to the arrest of two suspects,” the police said.
The command added that preliminary findings indicated the suspects were providing logistical support to kidnapping operations in the state.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspects are kidnap logistics suppliers aiding kidnap activities within the state. They have since made useful confessional statements that are currently aiding ongoing investigations and efforts to apprehend other members of the criminal network.”
The police urged the public to ignore claims that bandits were arrested at the airport, warning that such reports could create unnecessary panic.
Meanwhile, The ICIR checks showed that the Eleyowo community where the bandits were arrested is just three kilometres from the airport, which makes the community qualify to be within the airport environment.
Recent events show how bandits have been terrorising Akure North Local Government Area, where the airport is located.
The bandits have kidnapped and killed many people in communities within the local government, forcing residents to force the Akure-Owo road at different times.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M