The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has commenced an official investigation into allegations of gold smuggling involving one of its Aviation Security personnel at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
The staff member, Ali Baffa, was recently arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged attempt to smuggle gold valued at N4.4 billion out of Nigeria.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Thursday. According to the anti-graft agency, Baffa was apprehended alongside two other suspects during a surveillance operation conducted by the Land and Property Fraud Section of the EFCC’s Kano Zonal Directorate.
Reacting to the development, FAAN spokesperson Henry Agbebire initially said the authority was still seeking clarity on the circumstances surrounding the incident. He confirmed that Baffa had been issued a query while the agency awaited further details from investigators.
“We have no position yet until tomorrow. Though he has been given a query, but the way it is, by tomorrow that is when DAS will get the clearer picture. You know they said it happened around the car park, the bureau de change car park, and, in all, he is still a suspect,” Agbebire said.
Providing an update on Monday, the FAAN spokesman stated that the authority had not reached a final decision on the matter but had launched a full-scale investigation.
“Well, what I can say now is that we are yet to decide on the matter; investigations have been allowed to go on; that is what we have on the matter as at now,” he said.
According to the EFCC, preliminary investigations revealed that Baffa allegedly concealed 22.2 kilogrammes of unprocessed gold bars in his trousers in an attempt to evade security screening and facilitate their illegal export.
The commission estimated the value of the seized gold at more than N4.4 billion.
Investigators later arrested another suspect, Aushabu Nasidi, who was allegedly linked to the supply of the gold bars. During the operation, EFCC operatives reportedly recovered multiple foreign currencies from Nasidi, including Saudi riyals, Turkish lira, Kuwaiti dinars, Philippine pesos, Australian dollars, Chinese renminbi, Algerian dinars, Hong Kong dollars, Hungarian forints and Sudanese dinars.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Mukhtar Muhammad Dan Zaria, who was also allegedly connected to the supply chain.
The EFCC said Dan Zaria allegedly admitted during interrogation that he had smuggled approximately 40.2 kilogrammes of gold between June 1 and June 11 using the same method under investigation.
The anti-graft agency said investigations are ongoing and that the suspects may face prosecution upon the conclusion of its inquiries.
Meanwhile, FAAN maintains that its internal investigation will determine the authority’s official position on the matter and any disciplinary measures that may follow.
