A man has been arrested for allegedly stealing ₦290,000 from a fellow passenger on an Abuja-bound flight before the aircraft took off.
The incident was brought to public attention by a passenger, Chioma Ifeanyi, who shared the experience in a viral Facebook post. She described how confusion erupted on the plane moments before takeoff after a foreign passenger raised an alarm that his money had gone missing.
According to Chioma, the foreigner claimed his bag — which had been placed in the overhead compartment above his seat — was moved, and the cash inside it stolen.
A video circulating on social media shows airport security officials escorting the suspect off the aircraft amid murmurs from shocked passengers.
Chioma said another female passenger quickly identified a man seated opposite her as the one who had tampered with the foreigner’s bag. When confronted, the suspect denied the allegation, but a search reportedly uncovered the missing money hidden under his seat.
“The flight hadn’t even taken off,” Chioma wrote. “Everyone was shocked that something like that could happen right inside the plane.”
She added that the flight was delayed for about 20 minutes as security personnel arrived to arrest the suspect, who appeared visibly nervous. His bag reportedly contained only a single shirt, fuelling suspicions that he may have boarded the flight with the sole intent of stealing.
Chioma praised the vigilance of the female passenger who exposed the culprit, saying her quick thinking prevented the theft from going unnoticed.
As security officers escorted the suspect away, the foreign victim was overheard vowing, “I won’t let this slide.”
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