Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria dey investigate di case of stealing onboard one flight from Lagos to Abuja.
Di incident happen on di morning of 26 July 2023, during di boarding of Ibom Air flight Q1300 from Lagos to Abuja, wen dem arrest one passenger for allegedly taking anoda passenger laptop from im bag for di overhead cabin.
According to statement wey Aniekan Essienette, di General Manager Marketing and Communication Ibom Air sign, di owner of di laptop bin suspect di movement of di suspect within di aircraft and decide to check wia e keep im laptop.
Na so e immediately realize say di laptop no dey wia e keep am so e raise alarm tell di crew members wetin don happen.
Sharp sharp, di crew members immediately begin search di plane and passengers and dis lead to about half an hour delay.
At di end, dem find di laptop with di suspect.
Dem immediately offload and hand di suspect over to di Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) for further investigation, and dem come also hand am over to di police for further investigation.
Aniekan Essienette add say police say di suspect na alleged member of a large syndicate wey dey specialise in stealing tins onboard aircraft.
E add say di owner of di laptop voluntarily step down from di flight to assist with di investigation and promise to follow up with di case to di logical conclusion.
Oda times passengers don steal during flight
On 31 May 2023, anoda passenger also allegedly steal di sum of one hundred thousand Naira (N100,000.00) from one wallet wey join dey inside a bag for di overhead bin while on board Ibom Air flight 4150 for Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal two Ikeja, Lagos
Essienette say dem don charge am to court and im still dey face trial for di Ikeja Magisterial District.
Also, anoda passenger bin allegedly stage di stealing of im own checked-in bag and declare say e dey missing and so accuse di airline of negligence with plenti threats of litigation.
But CCTV footage catch am in di act and im dey convicted of di crime of threat against Ibom Air, disturbance of public peace, and lies for Ogba Magistrate court in Lagos.
Dia im plead guilty and di court sentence am to two weeks imprisonment and a fine.
Aniekan Essienette add say di airline get zero tolerance for dis sort of criminal activity on board dia flights and dem go prosecute any offenders to di full extent of di law.
Essienette add say reports of increase in stealing onboard aircraft dey emphasise di importance for passengers to dey extra vigilant and attentive to dia belongings during flights.
E advice pipo to follow instructions from di crew members and take necessary precautions so e go help minimize such incidents.
E also encourage passengers to report any suspicious activities dem observe during dia flights to di crew members immediately, as early intervention fit prevent potential stealing and ensure a safer travel experience for everyone on board di flight.