…foil attempt to rob man of N1.8m

By Kenneth Ehigiator
Airport Command of Nigeria Police Force has again warned motorcyclists, also known as Okada riders, to stay away from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, following attempt by some riders to rob a man of N1.8 million and other valuables around the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the airport.

The victim was said to have withdrawn the money from a bank and was on his way to his office when two suspected robbers on a bike fired a shot at him in his car, with a view to collecting the money from him.

Police Commissioner of the Command, Umar Manko, who read the riot act in Lagos at a briefing yesterday, said it was the shot fired by the robbers that drew the attention of policemen at GAT to the scene.

He, however, added that the robbers immediately abandoned their target on sighting a police patrol team, but not without shooting their victim in the arm.

“The robbers couldn’t take the money, as they made an immediate escape on sighting our men. When the vehicle was searched, we found the N1.8 million, some foreign currencies and a passport, but the owner was shot in the arm by the robbers,” Manko said.

The commissioner said the police would now intensify its crackdown on Okada riders around the airport, adding that those already arrested on illegal entry into the airport precinct had been charged to court, with some already sentenced to prison terms and others, fined.

He also warned policemen aiding Okada riders to flout the law to desist or face the consequences.

He said the command also last month arrested  a suspect with fake $8,500 and another N1,216,000, adding that the suspect had been charged to court.

Manko said those caught at the airport with four bales of drugs suspected to be fake had been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for prosecution.

The commissioner also said the command arrested six suspected executive council members of Airlines Services Limited (ASL) Co-operative Society who allegedly stole N31 million of the co-operative’s money.

On touting, he threatened to arrest and prosecute any policeman caught touting at the airport, noting that those already caught were currently being prosecuted.