Inside Nigeria
Arik Suspends Staff Arrested for Alleged Extortion in Lagos Airport
Arik Airlines has reportedly suspended one of its staff members caught by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for allegedly soliciting a bribe from a traveller in Lagos.
This was disclosed on Wednesday in a statement from the management of the airline.
The airline management also said it would also conduct an internal investigation and cooperate with FAAN on the matter.
“The management of Arik Air (in Receivership) has suspended with immediate effect one of its staff caught by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for soliciting bribe at the domestic wing of the Murtala Mohammed International, Ikeja, Lagos, pending further investigations.
“While the management conducts its own internal investigation, we wish to reassure FAAN of our cooperation on this matter if further investigation is required. We fully support what FAAN is doing to rid our airports of this menace of corruption,” the organisation said.
Recall that some days ago, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) warned that bribe-seeking workers at Nigeria’s airports will be barred for life from working at airport terminals across the country if caught.
The FAAN Managing Director, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja after an emergency meeting with FAAN’s management over rising cases of bribery at airports.
The development trailed a viral video shared by an American vlogger, Sabbatical, as he called out airport officials for requesting money at different points.
He described the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos as “extreme corruption.”