Armed bandits numbering over 200 invaded the Kaduna International Airport on Saturday, shooting dead a security officer of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). The invaders overran the runway and prevented a Lagos-bound AZMAN aircraft from taking off at about 12:30 pm. The attack forced the authorities to temporarily shut down the Airport, while the military battled the gunmen. The bandits who started attacking the airport from midnight were said to have been aggrieved that some soldiers seized their cattle
According to a source, “the bandit’s attack started around 12:00 am today (Saturday). They started attacking the airport around midnight. The bandits were alleging that the military personnel took away their cattle.
“The military was able to repel them that midnight and we thought that was all. In fact, our staff resumed work this morning as usual. They worked around runway five till around 12:00 pm.
“Then, shortly after that, some NAMA staff went to check some of their equipment. These people (bandits) appeared and started shooting. The NAMA engineers scampered for safety; they could not even go and enter the vehicle that took them to the site. It was in the process that their security man was shot in the head.
“The security man was rushed to the hospital and he was confirmed dead.
“As I am talking to you now, the military are still battling those guys, and they are proving difficult to be repelled. Now, they have shut down the Airport,” the source said.
FAAN confirms the attack
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has confirmed the attack on the Kaduna Airport runway, saying “a group of bandits attacked the runway 05 axis of Kaduna airport earlier on Saturday.”
It said, however, that a combined team of anti-banditry military personnel and the Crime Investigation Unit of FAAN Aviation Security Department swiftly intervened for a rescue operation with one casualty reported in the incident.
The Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN, Mrs. Faithful Hope-Ivbaze in a statement said normalcy has since been restored at the airport.
The team also recovered two motorbikes abandoned by the bandits, she said, adding that the heavy reinforcement team from the Nigerian Defence Academy is on the ground to ensure the safety and security of airport workers/users.
“The FAAN AVSEC Department has equally released operational vehicles to the team for patrol purposes. The Authority uses this opportunity to sympathise with the family and friends of the victim of this unfortunate incident,” the statement said.
