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A Bureau de Change operator at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Alhaji Isiaka Tahir, on Friday accused four policemen, members of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of stealing about N5m from him.
Tahir said the act occurred when his employee was stopped by a team of RRS personnel at about 11.00 a.m at the access gate of the domestic wing of the airport.
Tahir, whose office is located at the Hajj Camp, said he gave the employee the money to deposit in his (Tahir’s) account at the Allen Avenue branch of the AfriBank.
“On his way to the bank, I put a call through to him that he should return back to the office for me to add an additional 450 pounds.
“The boy returned to the access gate and some RRS men stopped him and demanded why he was riding a motorcycle without a number plate’.”
According to Tahir, his employee explained that the motorcycle was newly bought and it was the first time it was being rode out.
“They refused and demanded to know the owner of the motorcycle.
“All this happened in the presence of the airport traffic policemen at the access gate and they even intervened and told the RRS men to let the boy go.
“At that point, the RRS men demanded money from the boy, but while he was trying to give them, they forcefully took the motorcycle and the money from my employee, and rode towards the Oshodi axis of the airport.’’
Tahir said that he went to the Hajj Camp Police Station in company of a policeman at the scene of the incident to report the case, but he sighted the men of the RRS trying to lodge another complaint at the Beesam Police Station inside the airport.
“We pursued and caught up with them, but unfortunately, by the time we checked the compact safe of the motorcycle, the money was no longer there,’’ Tahir said.
He recalled that police personnel had severally waylaid Bureau de Change operators and dispossessed them of their funds.
The Lagos State Commander of the RRS, CSP Hakeem Odumosu, expressed dismay at the incident, and described it as “ unfortunate”.
Odumosu, who said the airport was beyond the jurisdiction of the airport, promised that the matter would be investigated.
“What were they doing at the airport? It’s wrong for them to operate within the environment, but they can pass through the area.
“I can’t specifically confirm this allegation now, until we have investigated the matter. ’’
Also speaking on the matter, Deputy Commissioner of Police attached to the Beesam Police Station, Mrs. Bisi Dawodu, confirmed the detention of the RRS personnel, but said investigation into the matter were still on.
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