Incessant attacks: FAAN pensioners want AVSEC equipped with fire arms
BY CHUKWUEMEKE IWELUNMO
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch of the Federal Parastatal and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria, (FEEPPPA), has called on the federal government to equip officers of the Aviation Security (AVSEC) with arms to ensure adequate protection and ward off external forces to the airport
Reacting to the recent manhandling of the Director of Aviation security by men of the Nigeria Customs at the cargo section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, the Secretary of FEPPPA, Comrade Emeka Njoku, explained that a situation where paramilitary agencies assault and humiliate government officials as a result of bearing arms was unacceptable.
Njoku said, the squabbles between agencies at the airports will reduce when every agencies are fortified with arms adding, that the ugly incident between FAAN director and Customs officers would not have occurred.
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He recalled that the former minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika initiated the idea of AVSEC bearing arms and was approved by the then president following which funds were allocated for training of officers to carry arms
Njoku noted that that first and second batch of AVSEC have gone for trainings and back and called for more trainings of others in order to acquire the knowledge of the usage of arms
“We are still insisting that, the trainings should continue because if he was armed, the Director would not have been harassed.When they notice that all of us are carrying arms, they will respect me”
He noted that they were regulations guiding the use of fire arms adding that the issue asault and harassment by some security agents on FAAN personnel was worrisome.
