Members of a robbery syndicate have caused havoc at the Lagos airport after they dug deep into the ground and cut off armoured cables valued at N300m, which supplied electricity power to both the local and International Airports in Lagos State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports as was disclosed by the Police Command at the International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, following the arrest of one of the suspects, 28-year old Tanko Musa after the operation.
The robbers were alleged to have conspired, went to the front of National Air Defence Corps, opposite the Airforce base along the domestic airport linked to Muritala Muhammad International Airport and stole the cables, which supplied power to the airports on 21th July, 2023, at about 1.00am in the early hours of the morning.
It was gathered that after they cut off the cables, there was power outage at the two airports and the terminals were thrown into darkness before it was traced that the cables supplying power that were cut off and stolen.
The matter was reported to the Police at International Airport Division. The operatives moved into action, arrested the 28-year old Musa and detained him at the station for interrogation while his accomplices are still at large.
After thoroughly interrogating the suspect, the Police found him culpable and subsequently charged before the Ogba Magistrate Court for conspiracy, malicious damage and stealing by cutting off the cables worth the said amount belonging to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned.
The prosecutor, Inspector Matthew Ikhayyera, asked the Court to give a date for hearing since he pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that he actually committed the alleged offence.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. Hughes, granted him bail with sureties and ordered him remanded in the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when he will perfect his bail conditions.
Barely two weeks after the defendant was arrested and arraigned in Court, a combined patrol team of officers from Aviation Security’s Crime Investigation and Intelligence(CII) Unit, and the Joint Military Task Force(JMTF) apprehended three persons suspected to be cable thieves around the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
In a statement by Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, Director, Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, FAAN said that two of the suspects were caught at about 03: 52hes while digging and cutting electric cables connecting the international wing of the airport to the domestic wing while the third suspect served as a link between the other two and buyers at Arena Market, Oshodi and was apprehended at exactly 05: 56hr at Hajj & Cargo Terminal, following confessions made by the two other suspects.
FAAN said that the suspects are presently being interrogated by officials of its Aviation Security (AVSEC) after which they would be handed over to the Police for prosecution.