Security operatives have arrested four suspected bandits following a security breach near the runway area of in .
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when some farmers and a woman were seen running from farmland behind the airport’s operational fence toward the edge of the runway while shouting for help.
According to an incident report, the individuals informed authorities that they had sighted men on motorcycles suspected to be bandits approaching their farm.
It was learnt that air traffic controllers in the control tower observed the unusual movement and immediately alerted airport security personnel.
Operatives of the Aviation Security (AVSEC) unit, working with troops of the and the stationed around the airport, subsequently launched a search operation in the surrounding forest.
Security operatives later combed the nearby bush and arrested four suspects believed to be connected with the intrusion. The suspects were thereafter handed over to the police for further interrogation at the area command.
Sources disclosed that the suspects had earlier chased farmers away from nearby farmland, forcing them to run toward the runway area before security agencies intervened.
Before the arrests, security operatives had received a distress call indicating that suspicious individuals were sighted behind the airport near the .
Troops comprising Aviation Security officers, the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Army were deployed to pursue the suspects, leading to the initial arrest of one suspect before a wider search operation resulted in the capture of three others.
Confirming the development, the Managing Director of the (FAAN), , said the airport authority alerted key security formations, including the state police command and the Brigade Commander of the nearby army cantonment.
She explained that the security agencies, working with FAAN’s Aviation Security unit, carried out a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of the suspects.
Kuku also noted that the incident underscored the importance of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen airport security infrastructure nationwide.
She disclosed that FAAN was accelerating the construction of operational and perimeter fencing at airports across the country to prevent unauthorised access and improve aviation safety.
In another statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at FAAN, , the agency commended the swift collaboration among aviation security personnel, the military, the police and local security groups, including and community vigilantes, whose joint efforts led to the arrest of the suspects.
The statement added that the incident further highlighted the need to strengthen airport perimeter protection, noting that the Federal Government, through the with the support of the Presidency under , had accelerated the provision of modern perimeter fencing and improved security infrastructure at airports across the country.
According to the statement, work had already commenced in phases to ensure that airports under FAAN were better secured against unlawful access and other security threats, while reassuring the travelling public and host communities of its commitment to maintaining the safety and security of airport facilities nationwide.
