The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has ordered the immediate removal of a company accused of allegedly engaging in irregular parking enforcement and fine collection at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The development followed a complaint raised by a social media user, identified as Ogundipe, who alleged that personnel enforcing the airport’s no-parking and no-pick-up rules were clamping vehicles and demanding ₦25,000 penalties from motorists.
Responding to the complaint in a Friday post on X, Michael Achimugu said he escalated the matter to the Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, who subsequently directed that the company responsible for the alleged practice be ejected from the airport.
“Based off the escalation of this complaint to the Managing-Director of FAAN, Ms Olubunmi Kuku, she has ordered the IMMEDIATE ejection, from the Abuja airport, of the company responsible for this illegal action,” Achimugu stated.
He added that Kuku had consistently demonstrated her willingness to take action against activities considered unlawful or detrimental to airport users, particularly where evidence of wrongdoing was established.
“FAAN MD has always made it clear that she will enforce necessary action where evidence exists of illegal activities, especially actions that inconvenience airport users,” he said.
The complaint that triggered the intervention alleged that motorists who stopped briefly around the airport, sometimes to make telephone calls or pick up passengers, were approached by enforcement personnel, whose members allegedly clamped their vehicles and demanded a ₦25,000 fine.
According to the complainant, motorists who sought to pay the fine were allegedly directed to a makeshift office described as a red-painted container, where they were informed that payment could be made through a Point-of-Sale operator rather than through an identifiable official payment channel.
The complainant further alleged that some motorists were given personal account details bearing names such as “Sani Nasiru,” “Bala Matazu” and “Yahaya Matage” when attempting to make payments through digital platforms, raising questions over whether the funds were being remitted into an authorised account.
He questioned the legality of the practice and sought clarification from FAAN on whether the enforcement arrangement and payment procedure had been officially approved.
“@FAAN_Official, @mikeachimugu01, is the authority aware of this practice and did it approve it?” the complainant asked.
Achimugu said FAAN was already considering a replacement for the company removed from the airport, while urging motorists to observe the airport’s parking regulations to prevent similar confrontations.
“A capable replacement company is being discussed. Vehicle owners are also advised to comply with parking instructions at the airport to limit occurrences of this nature,” he said.
Commending the FAAN management for its response, Achimugu described the intervention as a swift reaction to an issue that had reportedly generated concern among airport users for some time.
“Kudos to the MD for such a brisk response. This matter has been of grave concern to airport users for a while,” he added.
The action is expected to bring renewed attention to parking enforcement, revenue collection and the conduct of private contractors operating within Nigeria’s airports, particularly the need for transparent and verifiable payment channels for penalties imposed on airport users.
