Police, FAAN clash over ‘bandits’ arrest at Akure Airport

The Ondo State Police Command and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria have given conflicting accounts over the arrest of suspected criminals linked to an incident around the Akure Airport area.

While FAAN announced that four suspected bandits were apprehended in a joint security operation on Sunday, the police said only two suspects were arrested and described them as criminals rather than bandits.

The Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, had earlier disclosed that the suspects were arrested through a collaborative operation involving several security agencies.

According to her, the operation involved aviation security personnel and other security formations after the matter was reported to relevant authorities.

“We alerted the Commissioner of Police, the Brigadier General of the army cantonment and the Military Air Command. Their personnel worked in collaboration with AVSEC, and the joint operation led to the arrest of four suspects,” she said.

However, the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Adebowale Lawal, disputed the claim during a “show of force” operation carried out by security agencies across the state on Monday.

Lawal stated that only two suspects were arrested and insisted they were not bandits but suspected logistics suppliers to criminal groups involved in kidnapping and other crimes.

“Let me quickly debunk the issue of the arrest of four bandits. We don’t have bandits in Ondo State. We have criminals, not bandits,” he said.

He explained that the suspects were arrested along the Eleyowo and Ilu-Abo axis, adding that another individual was apprehended at Ilu-Abo but was not connected to the first two suspects.

According to him, the arrests did not occur inside the airport premises as earlier suggested.

“They were never arrested at the airport, contrary to the statement by FAAN. We carried out the operation and they were not arrested within the airport,” the police commissioner said.

Meanwhile, security agencies conducted a statewide “show of force” aimed at tackling rising criminal activities and reassuring residents.

The exercise involved personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Amotekun Corps.

Commander of the Amotekun Corps in the state, Adetunji Adeleye, said the security agencies were working together to tackle crimes such as kidnapping, robbery and other criminal activities.

He noted that the operation would include patrols across urban areas as well as bush-combing exercises to flush out criminals hiding in forests and remote areas.

“We are going into both the metropolis and the bushes. The exercise will be continuous as we comb the forests and all corners of the state to ensure that criminal activities are reduced and that the state remains safe,” Adeleye said.