Day bank manager caused a stir at Abuja airport

Salome explained that though she observed that the handle of the bag containing the money was broken at the time she picked it from the airport, she did not immediately suspect that the money was stolen. However, after she had picked the bag and drove out of the airport, she checked the bag and discovered […]

Salome explained that though she observed that the handle of the bag containing the money was broken at the time she picked it from the airport, she did not immediately suspect that the money was stolen. However, after she had picked the bag and drove out of the airport, she checked the bag and discovered that $100,000 tied in two bundles was missing from the money. She returned to the Abuja airport to demand for the immediate refund of her missing money from the airline.

Captain Jide Olayiwola who witnessed the episode told Sunday Trust that shortly after the arrival of the police, other top officials of the airport also arrived at the scene. “Shortly after she made a call, the police came, NCAA and FAAN officials came,” he said.

Though Salome would not grant an interview to Sunday Trust, a copy of her two-page statement to the police was made available to Sunday Trust. Salome, in her statement dated December 31, 2009, said she boarded Arik airline plane along with her colleague from Lagos, adding, “I had one piece of carry-one luggage and a handbag. At the foot of the plane, I was informed that I could not be allowed to board with my luggage as the plane lockers would not carry it, being a small plane. I tried to insist but was advised to simply padlock the bag and they would ensure my bag got to Abuja safely,” the statement read in part.

Salome stated that she wanted to wait at the Lagos airport until her bag containing the money was loaded into the plane before boarding, but was persuaded by officials to board the plane, assuring her of the safety of her luggage. She said when the plane arrived Abuja, she also made an attempt to carry her luggage directly from the cargo of the plane, but was prevented and told to go to the arrival hall and wait for it. “I was informed I could not collect it at the tarmac. However, I insisted and waited till I sighted the bag on the ramp before I proceeded to the arrival hall to wait for the bag.

“When the bag arrived, I noticed that the position of the padlock had been changed, but was still locked. The handle had been broken. As soon as I drove off, I checked the bag and found that the sum of $100,000 in two bundles had been removed from my bag,” the statement read. Salome was said to be a frequent air passenger on the Abuja-Lagos route. She was used to travelling on board Boeing 737 that had bigger overhead lockers that could contain her bag. Salome took her luggage to the Lagos tarmac believing she was going to travel on board Boeing 737 only to discover that they were to use a smaller CRJ-900 plane instead.

Sunday Trust gathered that 13 staff of both Arik airline and SAHCOL from Abuja and Lagos airports were arrested, questioned and detained over the matter. Six were arrested in Lagos and seven from Abuja, but were all released the next day and asked to be reporting back to the stations at both towns.        

Shortly after the arrests of the airline and SAHCOL workers from the two airports on the same day of the incident, the Abuja station manager of Arik airline, Mallam Hamza Bukar, was queried by the NCAA Regional Manager of Abuja, Engineer Adetu to explain to the regulatory body why that incident had to happen. The Arik  Air manager could not be reached for comment.

“Our observations are as follows; she did not declare the contents of the said luggage when she was told to tag her bag at the foot of the aircraft. She did not complain at the arrival hall about the position of the padlock. She had driven off according to her statement before she realized $100,000 was removed. The bag’s padlock was not tempered with, her properties were intact and also large sums of dollars were left inside the bag (undisclosed amount). We have notified our legal department, security department and all relevant authorities both in Lagos and Abuja for proper investigations,” the airlines letter read in part.