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Keyamo vows to tackle extortion, harassment at airports
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has expressed concern over the harassment of Nigerians by some security agents stationed at various airports in the country.
Keyamo, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, revealed that his ministry has complained to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, over the issue.
“We have complained to the National Security Adviser on this because we are concerned about the harassment of Nigerians,” Keyamo said.
“Take note, it is not aviation, it is not Keyamo, I see people tagging me all the time, ‘somebody just asked for a bribe from me’, but it is somebody from another agency.”
The minister stressed that the actions of the security operatives are not representative of the aviation ministry, but rather a reflection of the need for better monitoring and regulation of their activities.
He noted that the NSA has acquired about 1,000 body cameras for security agencies to monitor their activities and prevent harassment of passengers.
READ ALSO: Nigeria is Africa’s most viable aviation market – Keyamo
“I have mentioned before, that the training is almost over now, he bought 1,000 body cameras that all the agencies will wear.
“We just want to go through the training first. There is a command centre for this where everybody will see exactly the moving cameras on everybody’s chest,” he added.
The minister also disagreed with calls for most of the security agencies to be pulled out of the airports, citing the importance of their presence in preventing drug trafficking and other crimes.
He mentioned the arrests of drug traffickers at the airports by the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as a key reason for their continued presence.
“These agencies should be at the airports but they should be out of you.
“They should have their cubicles inside. It is when you suspect somebody that you pull him out and take him to a restricted zone and check the person,” Keyamo concluded.
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