Customs Comptroller turns violent over delayed flight at Lagos Airport

A senior Customs officer who could not control his temper when his flight was delayed, turned violent and destroyed the airline equipment and afterward offered himself for arrest.

Investigation revealed that this happened on May 1, 2016 when a Customs Comptroller in charge of Port Harcourt, Mr. Olarenwaju Tajudeen bought an Arik Air flight ticket to Port Harcourt from Lagos for 5:00 pm, but at about 4:38 pm when he learnt that there was another 3:00 pm flight to the same destination, he chose to go with the earlier flight.

The airline official at the counter asked Mr. Olarenwaju to pay modification fee (about N3000.00), which he gladly did so his ticket was now rescheduled for 3:00 pm flight, but the flight was delayed and later merged with that of 5:00 pm, when he asked for refund, he was informed that the airline does not refund modification fees.

According to eye-witness account, Mr. Olarenwaju became angry and went berserk.

He went to the desk of Arik Air, pulled a computer monitor out of its cable and hit it on the ground and began to match on it and completely destroyed it.

The witness said while he was doing that, the airline officials were shocked beyond words as they watched him match on the computer monitor while some people were videoing him.

When he completely destroyed the computer monitor, he spread his hands wide in submission and requested that he be arrested.

Arik source told this reporter that when the incident happened the airline had to inform the Aviation Security (AVSEC) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which quickly deployed two officials who arrested him and took him to Tango City, a detention facility of the agency, from where he was taken to Police Airport Command at Beesam.

The police officer in charge of the case, Mr. Seye confirmed the incident on phone when he was called and said the case might be taken to court, but Mr. Olarenwaju was released on the day of arrest because of his standing as a Customs Comptroller.

“We are still on the case. We have called the man for a meeting. If he is not ready to show contrition for his action and what goes with it, we will charge the case to court; after all, he has committed an offence. He is not above the law,” the police official said.

Contacted the Airport Police Command spokesman ASP Alabi, said he was yet to be officially briefed about the incident.