How Lagos Airport Runway Light Was Stolen - Sources Reveals | READ DETAILS

According to sources, some staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), took advantage of the closure of the runway for over three months and connived with outsiders to steal the lightning system.

"The criminal took advantage of the closure to commit the crime. I cannot give the actual worth of the theft, but almost all the lighting was removed. The permanent secretary came around to see for himself the huge damage done. A lot of FAAN officials have been suspended," the anonymous source told PUNCH.

It was also gathered that some heads of relevant departments at FAAN have been suspended over the missing lighting equipment on the directives of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Dr Emmanuel Meribole.

The source also disclosed that investigations had since commenced to unravel those responsible for the missing safety equipment.

According to the source, the regular incursion and stealing of safety components at the airports are carried out by a syndicate, consisting of some workers of the agencies, who have access to the restricted areas and accomplices from outside.

A top official with FAAN, who pleaded anonymity said that the agency's Managing Director, Mr Kabir Yusuf, had ordered the suspension of security personnel who were in charge of guarding critical airport facilities.

Reacting to the incident, he Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Mr Yakubu Funtua, said;

"FAAN is doing all it can to get to the bottom of this. You are very aware that there are many agencies within the airport, including the different ones that are supposed to be taking care of security there. So, it would be unfair to put this (the theft) on our (members of) staff and I don't think there is any FAAN (member of) staff that wants the agency to crash.

"Note that most of our revenue comes from Lagos. So, what kind of staff will 'kill the goose that lays the egg?' However, we can't say exactly who did it, but we are doing all that we can to recover what is lost. We are going to recover it because we are going to find out those people who did it and then block all those loopholes."