The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MMIA

  • Mr Biggs arrives MMIA, Lagos

    Mr Biggs, Nigerian’s foremost, indigenous quick service restaurant business and a brand under UAC Restaurants, birthed a new outfit at the E-wing of the departure lounge, close to the British Airways counter, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos on November 23.

    The all-new-look eatery, is positioned to serve the increasing needs of international travellers at the MMIA.  This will avail travellers the opportunity to grab a fast meal before boarding their flights without hassles. The challenge of getting affordable hygienic meal to cater for the needs of travellers has been taken care  by the entrant of Mr Biggs brand at the airport. “It’s our good initiative in response to consumer needs,” said Mr Derrick Van Houten, the Managing Executive for UAC Restaurants.

    The mood at the opening of the eatery was joyous and it was easily noticeable on the faces of the customers when informed that  a Mr Biggs restaurant, where they could easily grab a meal before boarding their flights, was close by.

    As part of the marketing initiatives to create awareness and build customer loyalty, customers, who make purchases from the opening day till the next one month will be rewarded with beautifully branded gift items. It’s the Biggs way of appreciating the customers.

    The restaurant offers meals in the following categories: Pastries – Meatpie, Chicken pie, Beef roll & Doughnut; Meals – rice, heritage pottage and farmhouse beans;  Sweets – ice cream & soft serve yoghurt – first of its kind and a variety of cold drinks to go with the meals.

    We are very much aware that the yuletide period is setting in with its beehive of activities and the restaurant is set to relieve travellers the stress of having to plan their meals before arriving at the airport.

    Also, Mr Biggs, the children friendly brand is connecting with schools through the Mr Biggs @ School Fest package this yuletide season. For just N1, 000, schools can enjoy the presence of Mr Biggs brand at their end of year parties.

    Mr Biggs has just emerged as the 2014 Most Trusted Brand in the quick service restaurant category, a brand health award.  They couldn’t have achieved it without their esteemed and loyal customers.

  • NDLEA arrests computer merchant with cocaine

    NDLEA arrests computer merchant with cocaine

    FEW days after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) issued a warning on Nigeria-Brazil route, officials of the anti-narcotic agency have apprehended a 50-year-old computer merchant with 16.09kg of cocaine on arrival from Brazil.

    The suspect was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos during the inward screening of Etihad passengers.

    The drug was concealed in 15 hand bags inside his luggage.

    The estimated street value of the seized drug is N150million.

    According to the NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Hamza Umar, the suspect travelled with a Cameroonian passport under the name Nana Njamen Theophile.

    “Investigation later revealed he hails from Anambra State with the name Okafor Godswill. The case is currently under investigation,” Umar stated.

    The suspect in his statement said that he was given $6,000 to bring the drug to Nigeria.

    “I attended Boys Secondary School Nnewi, Anambra State. I sell computer accessories at Onitsha. I am married with two children.

    “I needed money to pay my bills and there was no help. I agreed to bring the drug into Nigeria for $6,000,” the 50-year-old explained.

  • Anxiety as alleged bomber is held at airport

    Anxiety as alleged bomber is held at airport

    •Police interrogating the disabled suspect

    Anxiety swept through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos yesterday as security officials arrested a disabled young man suspected to be a bomber.

    He was allegedly found with improvised explosive devices while trying to gain entrance into a facility near the Centrex Unit of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

    Sources said the suspect was moving suspiciously along the road leading to the international wing of the airport when private security officials caught him with the alleged devices, following which he was handed over to the police.

    Confirming the incident, the General Manager, Public Affairs of NAMA, Mr Supo Atobatele, said: “The basic truth is that the said suspect was on the ground making phone calls along the airport road close to Centrex, an annex office of NAMA, when the agency’s security personnel accosted him.

    “His incoherent explanation exposed him to the security personnel who later found on him some devices suspected to be explosives. He was subsequently handed over to the Airport Police Command for further investigation.”

    A police source said the devices found on him are wired cables, which could be converted into explosives.

    Officials of the Explosive Ordinance Department of the Nigeria Police are still examining the devices, which had allegedly been diffused.

    Sequel to the suspect’s arrest, security has been beefed up around both the domestic and international terminals of the airport.

    Many workers, contractors and others that passed through the main entrance into the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), NAMA and other offices were subjected to intensive search.

    At the headquarters of the police command, detectives, intelligence personnel and anti-bomb specialists were on hand to carry out intense interrogation on the suspect

    The Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Waheed Salau declined comment on the development. But it was gathered that the office of the Inspector General of Police had been briefed.

    A source said the police were working to ascertain if the wires were explosives.

  • NDLEA seizes N322m drugs in oil filters

    NDLEA seizes N322m drugs in oil filters

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has impounded N322 million worth of drugs concealed in oil filters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

    An auto parts dealer, Agbala Eze Cosmos (38), was arrested in connection with the consignment containing substances that tested positive for methamphetamine. The consignment was meant for export to Mozambique, NDLEA said.

    NDLEA Commander at the airport, Hamza Umar said the drugs were cleverly hidden inside oil filters. “The drugs were concealed in a manner that made it difficult to detect. We had to cut the filters open to recover the drugs. In all, a total quantity of 35.8kilogrammes of methamphetamine was found inside the oil filters,” he said.

    Hamza said that Agbala was assisting the agency to get the drug syndicate that allegedly hired him.

    The suspect, who said greed led him into drug trafficking, added: “I blame myself because I was greedy. They asked me to facilitate the exportation of the drug to Mozambique for N1 million. I was happy to do it because I needed money. It did not occur to me that there was so much risk involved because of the manner the drug was packed. I never knew the drug costs so much. I am married with three children and I sell auto parts,” Agbala, who hails from Enugu State, said.

    NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade, said: “The agency will work very hard to arrest everyone that is involved in this case. We are prepared to go the full length in our investigations. The suspect has given us useful information that we are currently processing.”

  • Passenger slumps, dies at airport

    Passenger slumps, dies at airport

    •Ebola test on him proved negative, says FAAN

    There was anxiety at the arrival floor of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos yesterday as a passenger on queue at the Port Health Unit of the terminal building slumped and died.

    It was while the passenger, Mr. Akunne Osei, was waiting to collect his vaccination and inoculation certificate otherwise known as “Yellow Card.”

    The passenger, who was identified as a Nigerian, was said to be on his way to Ghana for medical attention.

    The incident coincided with the maiden visit of the new Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka, who inspected facilities at both the domestic and international terminals of the airport.

    Sources at the airport said that the passenger arrived Lagos last Friday for business transactions and took ill in the process.

    When his health worsened, the sources said, he called his Accra, Ghana-based doctor, who advised him to return for further medical treatment.

    Confirming the incident, spokesman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Yakubu Dati, said: “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that a Nigerian passenger residing in Accra, who arrived Lagos for business transactions aboard an Arik Air flight on August 8, has died at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, on his way back to Accra.

    “The passenger, Mr. Akunne Osei took ill on Saturday, August 9, and started stooling. When the situation got worse, he called his doctor in Accra who instructed him to return to Ghana immediately for further treatment. During boarding formalities for his return trip to Accra, at the international terminal of the MMIA, Mr. Osei, who had obviously become weak at this time, was subjected to Ebola Virus test by port health officials, the result of which was negative.”

    He added: “No further attention was paid to him after his Ebola Virus result read negative, but the passenger later slumped and died around the port health office. This release is necessary to forestall the possible dissemination of unfounded and misleading media reports on the unfortunate incident.”

    One of his relations that accompanied him to the airport was shouting his name after he collapsed.

    Worried over the incident, security officials at the airport restricted access towards the area where the man lay lifeless on the floor. It was learnt that aviation security and medical personnel to the body to a nearby morgue.

  • NDLEA arrests man with cocaine in laptop bag

    NDLEA arrests man with cocaine in laptop bag

    Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have arrested a 34-year-old man, Nriagwu Augustine Ifeanyi, with 1.370kg of whitish powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine.

    The arrest and seizure took place at the departure hall during screening of passengers on a Turkish Airline flight.

    According to the NDLEA Commander at the Lagos, the drug was concealed in two parcels inside a laptop bag. “The suspect was found with two parcels of cocaine industrially hidden by the sides of his laptop bag. He was detected on his way to Turkey from where he would have proceeded to South Sudan. The drug tested positive for cocaine and weighed 1.370kg”.

    The suspect in his statement said that he smuggled the drug in anticipation of $3,500 compensation. “I wanted to use the $3,500 they promise to pay me to take care of my personal problems.

    ‘’I relocated to South Sudan in January 2013. I am married with a child but I am unable to care for my family due to financial constraint. Nobody wants to help me and the only way out for me was to smuggle the drugs. This was how I got involved” Nriagwu stated. He hails from Anambra State.

    The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said that the agency would continue to engage in both drug supply and demand reduction activities towards making the country drug-free.

    “The NDLEA will continue to pursue its mandate with all diligence. We shall cut off the supply of drug through arrests and prosecution of drug traffickers. We shall also intensify our anti-drug abuse public enlightenment programmes” Giade stated.

    The suspect will soon be charged to court.

  • Man ‘hides’ cocaine in shoes, voltage regulator

    Man ‘hides’ cocaine in shoes, voltage regulator

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has discovered 2.460 kilogrammes of cocaine inside women’s shoes and voltage regulators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

    A suspect, Nyeaka Chidiebere Anslem, who is married with five children, is being held in connection with the shipment.

    The seizures were made in a consignment of women’s shoes from Brazil on board an Ethiopian Airline flight and a shipment of voltage regulators meant for export to Gabon on a DHL cargo flight.

    The NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, who said the shipment was abandoned, explained: “We found an abandoned luggage containing ladies’ shoes that originated from Brazil. During examination, 1.860 kilogrammes of cocaine was found inside the shoes’ soles. Our men at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) section of the airport also detected 600 grammes of cocaine hidden in a voltage regulator. A freight forwarder has been arrested in connection with the cocaine shipment to Gabon.”

    Anslem, 37, who hails from Imo State, said he was given the consignment by a client. He explained: “I am a freight forwarder with over five-year experience. A client gave me a bag containing three voltage regulators and hair attachment to send to Gabon. The NDLEA at SAHCOL, while searching the luggage, dismantled the voltage regulators and found five parcels of substances that tested positive for cocaine in one of the regulators.”

    The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said the agency would continue to keep a close watch over Nigeria-Brazil route, while other African routes are being re-classified in line with current risk levels.

    “The NDLEA will continue to keep a close watch over Nigeria-Brazil route because of the high number of arrests and seizures made on the route. Recent drug seizures on some African routes have equally placed them on a high risk platform. We must continue to adopt effective strategies to prevent the sub-region from being used as a drug hub,” Giade said.

  • Lagos, Abuja airports for US transportation agency’s assessment

    Lagos, Abuja airports for US transportation agency’s assessment

    The American Transportation Safety Administration’s (TSA’s) Attaché for Central and West Africa, Ms Mcneir Loretta, has arrived in the country for a three-day working visit.

    The visit is a follow-up assessment of the agency’s Aviation Security Audit which was carried out on the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, (NAIA), Abuja in December 2013.

    Ms Mcneir, who is based in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday began her programme with a visit to the Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Benedict Adeyileka.

    She inspected facilities at the MMIA, Ikeja, in company of NCAA Aviation Security officials.

    Ms Mcneir is scheduled to meet with the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, before going to Abuja for a visit to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Dr Jamilla Shu’ara.

     

  • Pakistani student held with 25.4kg heroin

    Pakistani student held with 25.4kg heroin

    Attempt by a suspected Pakistani drug cartel to smuggle 25.4 kilogrammes of high-grade heroin into Nigeria has been aborted with the arrest of a Pakistani student, Iftikihar Muhammed Arslan.

    He was caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    The drug, which was uncovered in the suspect’s luggage during inward screening of passengers on board Qatar airline flight, according to the agency, has an estimated street value of N228 million.

    The suspect reportedly left Lahore, Pakistan, with the drug to Abu Dhabi (then Doha) from where he connected Lagos. He is believed to be working for a Pakistani drug cartel and it is said to be the largest single seizure of heroin at the Lagos airport since January.

    NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, said the 19-year-old Pakistani was found with 25 parcels of brownish substances that tested positive for heroin weighing 25.4 kilogrammes at the arrival hall of the airport.

    Iftikihar, who speaks English fluently, confessed to the crime, saying: “I am a student of Punjab College and I am in Nigeria as a tourist because my friend told me that Victoria Island and Ikoyi are beautiful tourist centres. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the Lagos airport, the heroin was found in my luggage. This is my first time of coming to Nigeria and I had intended to spend a week or two.”

    The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said the arrest and seizure would send warning signals to drug trafficking cartels that Nigeria is winning the fight against narcotics. He added: “We are working very hard to also identify other members of the criminal group. All suspects linked to the crime will be charged to court after investigations.”

  • NDLEA confiscates drugs worth N240million

    NDLEA confiscates drugs worth N240million

    OFFICIALS of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized illicit drugs valued at N240million at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

    The drugs weighing 95.93kg were seized between January and March 2014.

    A total of 19 suspected drug traffickers were also apprehended.

    They include 16 males and three females.

    The NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, disclosed this at the weekend in a chat with reporters.

    He said: ”Within the first quarter of 2014, the Airport command seized cocaine 9.060kg, heroin 16.950kg, cannabis 27.235kg, methamphetamine 3.4kg, ephedrine 2kg, morphine 14.96kg,apresoline 3.505kg, pethidine 10.82kg and diazepam 8kg”.

    The agency observed that there was a reduction in quantity of drugs seized in the first quarter of 2014 compared to 2013.

    In 2013, total drugs seized at the Lagos airport was 172.145kg.

    While the quantity of drugs reduced by 76.215kg in the period under review, the number of persons arrested also reduced by one.

    The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said that the agency will continue to intensify security checks at all exit points in the country.

    “The reduction in the quantity of drugs seized is an indication that we are making progress in our search operations.

    “We shall continue to improve on our counter-strategies through the use of latest technology in drug control,” he stated.