By Dipo Olowookere
The invasion of the runway of Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto State, on Friday by those loyal to Mr Aliyu Wamakko, a Senator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the National Assembly, has been condemned by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
In a statement issued on Sunday by the General Manager of FAAN in charge of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, the incident was described as a gross violation of the security and safety arrangements at the airport.
The FAAN spokesperson claimed that the loyalists of the politician broke through the airport fence and invaded the airport in a bid to receive him.
She said, “However, our team of aviation security officers were able to curtail the situation and normalcy was restored at the airport.”
According to her, “The airport environment is a highly regulated environment and should be seen as such.”
She emphasised that her agency would not compromise security and safety at our airports for any reason.
Mrs Yakubu urged the general public, especially politicians and their supporters, as the 2019 general elections was drawing closer, to ensure compliance with all rules and regulations at the airports.
On Friday, Mr Wamakko was in Sokoto State in a bid to show who controls the state between he and the Governor, Mr Aminu Tambuwal, who decamped from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday.
