Police Officer Threatens To 'Gun Down' Man In Lagos

A police officer attached to AIC Limited, a company owned by politician cum businessman, Harry Akande, on Tuesday threatened to ‘gun down’ an official of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Channels TV is reporting.

According to the report, AIC had on Tuesday stormed the airport premises to reclaim the land which was taken away from the company but was resisted by FAAN’s Aviation Security officials, who battled officials of the AIC, including throwing stones at Mr Akande.

“I will leave to come and rough handle him? I will gun you down,” the police office threatened.

AIC had leased the said land to FAAN about 10 years ago for the development of a hotel facility at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

During the altercation between the two parties, one of the police officers at the scene repeatedly threatened to manhandle and gun down civilians at the scene.

FAAN had said on June 21 that it was set to reclaim the disputed land.

In a statement, the General Manager, Aviation parastatals, Yakubu Datti, said Justice Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos ruled in favour of FAAN on June 19.

In his judgement, Mr. Buba reportedly ruled that the arbital tribunal that awarded $48.124 million to AIC, outside its jurisdiction, mis-conducted itself by rendering the final award on June 1, 2010. He declared the award null and void.

Mr. Datti stated that Mr. Akande in January had forcefully invaded the said land with some thugs and succeeded in driving FAAN staff on the site away.

Mr. Akande was a presidential aspirant under the All Nigeria Peoples Party.

By the judgement, Mr. Datti said, the piece of land is now free for massive infrastructural development at the Murtala Mohammed Airport under the aerotropolis project. This project includes an ultra-modern hotel complex, a multi-storey car park, among others in an effort to expand facilities at the airport.

While FAAN is insisting on taking over the land by virtue of the Federal High Court judgment; AIC is maintaining that the court never ordered the agency to take over the property immediately.

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