The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has warned that it will revoke the operating licences of concessionaires and businesses whose staff are found to be involved in touting, extortion and other illegal activities at the nation's airports.
Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed this during FAAN in Focus, stating that investigations showed that many of those engaging in touting within airport terminals are not outsiders but employees of agencies and concessionaires operating at the airports.
According to her, some of the individuals involved work for trolley service providers, bureau de change operators and airport shops, using their positions to solicit money from passengers.
Kuku said FAAN has intensified engagement with the affected businesses and agencies while working with security agencies to strengthen surveillance and enforce stricter monitoring measures, including staff rosters and attendance registers.
She also appealed to passengers to stop encouraging touts by refusing to hand over their luggage or pay unauthorised persons for assistance or preferential treatment at airports.
"We discovered that many of these activities are sustained because some passengers willingly pay people to carry their bags or help them bypass normal procedures. If passengers stop encouraging them, the practice will reduce significantly," she said.
The FAAN boss explained that the authority is introducing stricter accountability measures to identify personnel legitimately deployed to airport terminals and monitor their movements during duty hours.
She warned that businesses whose employees are repeatedly caught engaging in touting or extortion would face sanctions, including the withdrawal of their operating licences.
According to Kuku, concessionaires and agencies must ensure that their staff comply with airport regulations, stressing that repeat offenders will attract consequences not only for themselves but also for their employers.
She reaffirmed FAAN's commitment to sanitising airport operations, improving passenger experience and eliminating touting and other illicit activities across Nigeria's airports.
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