Over the years there has been growing animosity between the Nigerian Customs Service and the Aviation Security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria on issues concerning security and the management of facilities at the Lagos airport. The writer posits that security could be compromised if customs and other security operatives do not delineate their functions at the airport.
It has almost become a tradition that officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and that of other security agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Department of State Security (DSS), the Nigeria Quarantine Service (NQS) and others will at one time or other fight over their rule of engagement Aviation Security (AVSEC), security arm of FAAN.
The disagreement that has become rife over the years is the conflict between Nigeria Customs and FAAN officials. The butt of the disagreement over time is the roles each organisation is supposed to play at the airport. FAAN as the manager of the airports, issues on-duty cards (ODCs) to the officials of other agencies and other users of the airport; the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) also recognises FAAN security, that is Aviation Security (AVSEC) as accountable to security issues at the airports. This is in tandem with international regulation and even when domesticated to suit every country’s system, AVSEC is recognised as being in charge of security at airports.
Other aforementioned security operatives like Customs, DSS and others ought to submit to AVSEC and FAAN management, but over time these rules are negated because of personal interest and ego. These other security operatives most often compromise the rules by extorting passengers at the airport, but FAAN management finds it difficult to control them and that has given rise to fisticuffs and other disagreements at the airport.
Disobeying FAAN
Sometimes, when FAAN management orders some of the other security officials that infringed on the rules to leave the airport they would defy the instruction and insist that they were directed to work at the airport by their bosses at the headquarters. But recently, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, was able to step in and punish two immigration officials who molested and extorted a 14-year old passenger that was travelling through the airport.
The two immigration officials involved were removed because the minister pushed that case and involved the management of Nigeria Immigration Service.
But one could say that the punitive measure was meted to these two out of hundreds of such incidents that happen at the airport.
Confrontations
In January 2022, FAAN and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) engaged in a war of words with each other on a social media platform. The argument ensued after FAAN, on Twitter accused the NCS of a breach of security at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, (MMA), Lagos.
FAAN had in a statement by its spokesperson then, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, alleged that the Customs Area Comptroller for Hajj and Cargo Terminal at the Lagos Airport and one Agunbiade, a customs officer on the Comptroller’s entourage manhandled Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel on duty at Gate 3 of the Security Restricted Area (SRA) of the airport.
The agency alleged that AVSEC officers on day duty at Gate 3 were profiling a Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) vehicle that wanted to access the Security Restricted Area via gate 3 when the Customs Area Comptroller emerged and pulled off behind the NAHCO vehicle that was being attended to.
The statement said Agunbiade, the accused customs officer, on the Area Comptroller’s entourage shoved aside the AVSEC officer at the gate. FAAN alleged that the Customs officers forcefully took over gate 3 and opened it for the Comptroller and his escorts to access the Security Restricted Area via gate 3, forcefully.FAAN alleged that the comptroller also threatened to beat up AVSEC officers who tried to stop them.
Part of the statement read: “While accessing the gate, the armed escorts to the Comptroller threatened to beat up some AVSEC officers at the gate if they dared to resist the breach of security.This blatant abuse of the privilege of bearing firearms by the NCS has become a recurrent threat to the safety and security of our staff and our operations.”
However, the Nigerian Customs, responding to the allegations through its official Twitter handle, questioned the restriction of access to its officers.
The tweet read, “Saying that a gate is restricted to Customs in an international cargo airport shows a lack of understanding of NCS roles. Could it be that the gate is being made available for smugglers?
FAAN defended its tweet, saying the restricted areas at the airport are in the interest of national security, adding that no staff or agency is beyond standard security procedures.
“It is a cargo terminal in Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA is not a dedicated International Cargo Airport. In the interest of National security, all airfields worldwide are Security Restricted Areas (SRA), be it cargo or non-cargo airports.
“No staff or agency is beyond or above submitting to standard security procedures in any airport, no matter what role the agency plays. No role justifies serial indiscipline and assault on fellow citizens.
“We must not trivialize this matter as about FAAN or the Customs; it’s about the Dignity and safety of our security personnel who are regularly assaulted and humiliated in public,” FAAN wrote.
Similar Incident
Also in April 2018, a customs officer attached to the Muhammmed International Airport, Lagos beat up a staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, at the Monument Gate of the airport who was rushed to the Air Force hospital after the assault on him.
It was gathered that the customs officer who was in mufti attempted to gain access to the Monument Gate through the exit thereby leading to gridlock on the road, but was challenged by the FAAN staff, Mr. Taiwo Adeyanju who was in company of some of his colleagues who were on their way out of the Monument Gate at around 9:40am before he was attacked with teargas severally in the eyes by the Customs staff, Daboh for daring to challenge his wrong driving.
Eyewitness account stated that it took the intervention of some workers at the complex and the personnel of the Nigeria Police attached to the airport before Adeyanju could be successfully rescued from Daboh who rained several fixed blow attacks on his face and other parts of his body.
It was further gathered that when Daboh realised the magnitude of his offence, he attempted to run away and drove directly to the office of the Customs at the airport, but he was given a hot chase by some workers at the airport.
Daboh was later arrested and taken to the police station at the airport where his senior officers intervened and ensured h was released.
Recent Conflicts
Recently, three aviation unions have demanded the redeployment of the Nigeria Customs Service Area Controller in charge of Pilgrims and Cargo Terminal (PCT) and all the Customs officers involved in the assault on the Director of Aviation Security (AVSEC) Services of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) within 14 days.
The unions urged government to clearly define the duties and roles of the Customs operation in a bonded warehouse in civil aviation.
The unions also called on government to immediately reduce the numbers of custom officers operating in civil aviation as obtained globally and also called on FAAN management to immediately sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with all paramilitary agencies at the airports, defining their scope, roles and responsibilities.
The unions warned that if their demands were not met within fourteen days the unions cannot guarantee industrial peace and harmony at the Lagos airport.
Reacting to the position of the labour leaders, the Nigeria Customs Services in a statement attributed its action to miscommunication regarding equipment movement and sitting arrangements, which “resulted in a disagreement between officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and officers of the NCS.”
“In line with the World Customs Organisation’s (WCO) Safe Framework of
Standards, which underscores Customs-to-Customs, Customs-to-Other Government Agencies (OGA), and Customs-to-Businesses cooperation, the NCS remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a collaborative working environment.
This approach is essential for seamless trade facilitation, regulatory compliance, and the overall growth of the national economy,” it stated in the statement signed by Assistant Controller of Customs, National Public Relations Officer, AbdullahiMaiwada.
Customs insisted that “it is essential to reiterate that the NAHCO and SAHCO Import & ExportWarehouses are licensed Customs Bonded Warehouses operating in full compliance with Section 122 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023. As stipulated in Section 127 of the Act, these warehouses remain under the control of the NCS.”
Aloof and conceited as the statement was, it did not address the reason why the Director of AVSEC was assaulted. It was also vague on whether FAAN security officials should not access the bonded warehouses because they are customs warehouses; as AVSEC is in charge of the whole airport and being responsible for security matters at the airport.
Former General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, YakubuDati, who witnessed some of these incidents when he was spokesman of the agency, observed that the recent molestation by some security agencies against the AVSEC top official at MMIA called for concern, insisting that security operatives should subordinate themselves to ICAO regulations, which make FAAN the landlord of the airports.
“During my sojourn as GM Public Affairs, we countered such infractions by creating enlightenment across the top echelon of the security agencies to appreciate the constitutional roles of AVSEC as the number one security agency at the airports as enshrined in the ICAO convention, which Nigeria is a signatory to. The security operations at the airports are monitored according to international aviation statutes and may lead to sanctions, which may affect the safety and security standings of our entry points and ultimately affect the country negatively,” Datisaid.
He noted that the excellent work by the Managing Director/CEO of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, under the supervision of Festus Kenyamo, the Minister, should be complemented by security agencies, who must see themselves as partners in progress.
Also, the former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and aviation security expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu, spoke on this protracted warring between FAAN and the security operatives that work at the airport.
According to him, it is at the airport security committee at MMIA that issues are thawed at and deliberated on.
“First, the questions to ask FAAN are: do we have the airport security committee for the MMA? Are these officers, Customs, Controller and the FAAN Director of AVSEC members of the Committee? Was the MD informed of the reasons for the confrontation between the two? If not, the two officers must be suspended not only from the Committee but from their functions in the Airport if and only if FAAN still remains responsible for coordinating the government security agencies working in the Airports as provided in the National CIVIL Aviation Security Programmes (NCASP).
“The Customs Control General should be informed through the FAAN report to the NCAA. All these are happening and will continue to happen so long as there is no a unified command and control on all the government security agencies working in the airports. Each one of them believes it has superior authority over the other. None of them and those in the administration of our government and the management of the agencies understand that the airport security (as in Aviation Security) is a function of the National Security that must have a control and not multiple control as we have in our country. It is not so in many countries not even in Rwanda that got her training with FAAN,” he said.
Ojikutu also observed that there are today, over six government security agencies working in “our airports and they all carry guns but no unified command and control over them. Pray, let there not be bigger conflicts among them, who will save them from themselves or us all from ourselves.”
Ojikut insisted that if there is an Airport Security Committee for the airport and these two officers are members, and the provision of the NCASP is still applicable, the two officers should be suspended and after the investigation, both must be withdrawn from their airport functions.
Unless security operatives are made to understand their roles and to know that AVSEC is the first in line with security apparatus at the airports, the other security operatives will continue to compromise ICAO regulations by trying to subordinate AVSEC.
