Airport extortion beyond aviation ministry’s control, solution on the way –Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has lamented the trending menace of extortion of passengers by officials of government agencies at the nation’s airports.

He said that though the anomaly was beyond the ministry’s control, he had deployed strategies to proffer a lasting solution.

According to him, the problem is beyond the ministry’s control because, most of the agencies involved are not under the control of the Aviation Ministry, but stationed at the airports.

Keyamo who stated this in a post on X on Sunday, assured that the ministry had started liaising with other ministers in charge of the affected agencies to proffer a lasting solution to the menace.

Keyamo said that the ministry was collaborating with the National Security Adviser to find solution.

The minister’s statement is against the backdrop of torrents of complaints by travellers over alleged extortion by officials at the airport.

“I have received several complaints about the menace of begging and extortion at our international airports by a few unscrupulous persons who give all of us a bad image,” Keyamo said.

“My phones are beeping every minute with messages about this from well-meaning Nigerians. Just to set the records straight, most of the agencies involved in this menace are not under the control of the aviation ministry, though they are stationed at our airports,” he added.

“However, I have been working closely with other ministers, arms of government and agencies who are responsible for these agencies and a solution is in sight soon,” Keyamo assured.

Recall that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had given a warning to airport users against offering bribes and encouraging extortion.