The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has pledged to establish magistrate courts at airports nationwide to ensure immediate justice for those who break airport rules and anti-touting regulations.
The FAAN Managing Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed this during a recent meeting with FAAN management and heads of security agencies at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.
The meeting aimed to brief airport stakeholders on recent developments, outline the current management’s strategic objectives and discuss ways to enhance the passenger experience and streamline airport operations.
Mrs. Kuku emphasised the problem of touts and loiterers, which she described as a significant barrier to providing a comfortable environment for genuine airport users.
She noted that some individuals who have no legitimate reason to be at the airport continue to cause disturbances, further complicating the situation.
The new magistrate courts are intended to address these issues promptly and maintain order within airport premises.
Mrs. Kuku mentioned that as part of the anti-touting task force, they will start the prosecution of those who engage in illegal activities or loiter around the airport environment and harass passengers.
This is not something that happens elsewhere in the world, and the airport must remain a safe place.
MD/CE of FAAN said that she recognizes car rental operators who violate processes and protocols, and warned that such behaviour would no longer be tolerated.
Mrs. Kuku reiterated the significance of minimizing manual baggage searches in the international area of the airport.
The MD also mentioned that a process would be created where baggage would be tested by screening machines, and security officers would inspect the contents in real-time and only select luggage that requires secondary screening.
Mrs. Kuku made emphasis on the need to streamline the efforts of the workforce. The airport's processes need to be improved. In this era of the 21st century, we must keep up with the times.
According to the MD/CE, Terminal C of the NAIA will be ready for use by December 2024 due to the pace of ongoing work.
She affirmed that there will be more efforts to create more international routes to take advantage of the International Terminal, which she said was 'extremely underutilized'.
Abbas Hashim, the Military Airport Commander of NAIA, Air Force Group, expressed gratitude to the MD/CE for organizing the meeting, which was attended by other security agencies.
Mr. Hashim proposed that there should be an establishment of frequent meetings, and enhanced collaboration between the agencies and FAAN.
