Customs Service investigates officer’s alleged assault of FAAN’s employee

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), has commenced investigations into the incident involving one of its officers and an employee of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). The duo clashed last Thursday over right of way near the Palace Gate of the Cargo Terminal, MMIA, Lagos, leaving the FAAN officer in bad shape.

The investigation, according to the spokesperson of the Nigerian Customs Service, Airport Command, Thelma Williams, has become imperative to establish the veracity of the claim by a staff member of FAAN that he was attacked by a Customs officer.

Williams said preliminary findings by the Customs has revealed that the officer was not trying to gain access into the Palace Gate as alleged by the FAAN staff. She said the officer had made a turn towards the Hajj Camp axis of the road, when the FAAN staff in company of others blocked his car.

Williams added that it was important to clear the air on the matter because of information being pushed out to the public that the Customs officer battered the FAAN worker and damaged his car.

According to her, “At no time did our officer attempt to access the monument gate as being alleged. Rather, the officer in question veered off the road to drop off a friend only to be barricaded by a FAAN staff in the company of four other FAAN workers.

“He tried to inquire the reason for the barricade and this led to an argument, which further culminated into a scuffle. There was never a point that our officer was taken to the police station as reported in the press.”

It would be recalled that a Customs staff simply identified as H. Daboh, was alleged to have battered FAAN staff, Mr. Taiwo Adeyanju, who was in the company of some of his colleagues on Thursday.