The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria on Sunday condemned the invasion of the runway of the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto by loyalists of some politicians, who broke through the airport in a bid to receive their masters.

FAAN also cautioned politicians to stop violating safety arrangements at the airports, particularly as the 2019 general elections draw near.

The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, described the recent incident in Sokoto as unfortunate and stated that the situation was, however, brought under control by aviation security personnel of the agency.

She stated, “The unfortunate incident, which occurred on Friday, August 3, 2018, is a gross violation of the security and safety arrangements at the airport, as thousands of political loyalists violently accessed restricted areas at the airport, breaking down the airport fence in the process and resisting all security machineries in place.

“However, our team of aviation security officers were able to curtail the situation and normalcy was restored at the airport.”

Yakubu said politicians and their loyalists must realise that the airport environment was a highly regulated place and should be seen as such.

“As the 2019 general elections are drawing closer, the authority will like to advise the general public, especially politicians and their supporters, to ensure compliance with all rules and regulations at the airports, as we will not compromise security and safety at our airports for any reason,” she added.

She, however, assured passengers and airport users that FAAN was committed to its core values of safety, security and comfort.

Punch