FAAN to curb touting with on-site courts at airports

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said it has concluded plans to establish magistrate courts across the airports in the country.

The Authority said the development was in continuation of the fight against touting in Nigerian airports as well as ensuring that violators of airport rules get an instant judgment.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, made this known during a meeting held in Abuja on Friday between FAAN management and heads of security agencies at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The meeting was organised to intimate airport stakeholders on recent happenings at the airport, educate them on the strategic goals of the current management, and discuss ways of enhancing passenger experience and facilitation.

The FAAN boss identified the presence of touts and loitering by members of the public as a major challenge to making genuine airport users comfortable.

Her words, “There are people who have absolutely no business being at the airport, and they continue to create issues for us,” she said. “We have an anti-touting taskforce, and as it is, we are going to start the prosecution onsite of those engaging in these illicit activities or loitering around the airport environment and harassing passengers This doesn’t happen elsewhere around the world, and the airport should be a safe space.”

She further said that she is aware of car hire operators violating processes and protocol and warned that such behaviour would no longer be tolerated.

Kuku reiterated the need to reduce manual baggage search at the international wing of the airport. She said a process would be put in place where baggage would go through screening machines, and security officials would view the contents in real-time and only pull aside luggage that requires secondary screening.

“We have to streamline our efforts. We need to improve processes at the airport. This is the 21st century, and we must keep up with the times,” she said.

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