Passenger raises alarm over ‘stolen’ luggage at MMA2, caught by CCTV

Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, operator of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2, Ikeja, Lagos, says its security surveillance system helped in nabbing a passenger who falsely accused an airline of theft.

Oluwatosin Onalaja, Head of Corporate Communications of BASL, made the revelation in a statement on Thursday.

He reiterated the operator’s commitment to safeguarding the airport against criminal activities, saying that surveillance systems and other security measures are always in place to detect any form of criminalities at the terminal.

Onalaja said the detected passenger intended to create panic and fear amongst other passengers about the security in the airport.

He said: “After arriving on an Ibom Air flight from Abuja, a male passenger raised an alarm that his checked-in luggage was missing, but what he did was to fraudulently remove the baggage tag to try to beat the system.

“Due to his persistence, the airline requested a review of the CCTV footage of that day from BASL to ascertain what really happened.

“From the footage, it was discovered that his alleged missing bag was actually his checked-in bag and it showed him picking up the bag from the conveyor belt and taking it to the restroom where he removed the checked-in tag from the bag.

“He then went straight to the Ibom Air counter where he raised the false alarm, but he was confronted with the CCTV footage, at which point, he broke down and confessed to the crime.”

Onalaja said that the man was charged to court, convicted for his crime, and given an option of fine.

Monica Oguta, Head of Aviation Security, BASL, said in the statement that the organisation had invested resources into the maintenance of security systems in the airport.

Oguta said: “To those with criminal intentions, I strongly advise against attempting any illegal activities at the MMA2 terminal as we have a highly trained security team and a zero-tolerance policy for criminal behaviour.

“We will take swift and decisive action to ensure the safety and security of our travellers, stakeholders and staff at our terminal.”