As the 2019 general election nears, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has advised politicians and their supporters to always comply with the rules and regulations at the airports.
FAAN gave the warning in Lagos following the invasion of the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport runway, Sokoto on Friday August 3 by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and supporters of Senator Aliyu Wamakko who thronged the facility to welcome the politician.
Wamakko was going home to drum up support for the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari following the recent defection of the state governor, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal and 18 lawmakers in the Sokoto State House of Assembly from the APC to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement in Lagos, FAAN’s general manager in charge of public affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu said the agency will not compromise security and safety at the airports for any reason.
She condemned the conduct of the supporters “who broke through the airport fence and invaded the airport in a bid to receive their political masters.’
The unfortunate incident…is a gross violation of the security and safety arrangements at the airport, as thousands of political loyalists violently accessed restricted areas at the airport, breaking down the airport fence in the process and resisting all security machineries in place.
“The airport environment is a highly regulated environment and should be seen as such,” she said.
However, she said FAAN’s aviation security personnel were able to curtail the situation and normalcy was restored at the airport.
