An officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) attached to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos Command has retrieved $5000 belonging to a foreign passenger at the airport.
LEADERSHIP gathered that aside the $5,000, other items in the wallet include credit cards, and an Identification Number card of yet to be identified foreign passenger were retrieved at the Visa on Arrival (VoA) point of the command at the E-Wing Arrival section of the terminal last Sunday.
Apart from the dollar currency, it was also gathered that other foreign currencies were also retrieved by the officer.
It was gathered that the name of the officer that retrieved the lost items was Chief Immigration Assistant (CIA) Omodayo Odewenwa, who was recently redeployed to the Lagos International Airport from the Ikoyi Passport office.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, the public relations officer, Yakubu Yarus, said that the items were discovered in a folder wallet on the floor around the VoA hall of the terminal.
He, however, stated that the command has escalated the incident by writing an email to the supposed owner, but at the time of filing this report, it was yet to receive a response from the owner of the items.
According to Yakubu, “One of our officers at the VoA E-Arrival Wing of the terminal, retrieved a folder containing several foreign currencies, credit cards, ID card and other valuable items supposedly belonging to a foreigner. Immediately after he retrieved these items, he informed his superior at the terminal who immediately took action.
“So far, we have escalated the issue by sending an email to the supposed owner to come for his property, but we are yet to receive a response. But, we are hopeful that he will respond at the appropriate time. There was no phone number on the document. So, it is difficult for us to get across to him. However, I can assure you that the items are in safe hands.”
Also speaking, the NIS Comptroller of the MMIA Command, Adeola Adesokan, commended the honest act of the officer; emphasising that officers of the command have been constantly ingrained with operational and attitudinal reforms in recent times.
She, however, assured that the command would continue to perform its enshrined duties with utmost professionalism and dignity of purpose.
The comptroller enjoined the traveling public to always have confidence in interacting with the immigration officers.
