The Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has denied reports that bandits were arrested at Akure Airport, contradicting an earlier announcement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
In a statement on Monday, police spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh said the report was inaccurate and clarified that no security breach occurred at the airport.
He explained that the confusion came from a security operation carried out around the Eleyewo area of Akure, several kilometres away from the airport. According to him, police acted on intelligence about suspected kidnappers operating in the area.
The operation led to the arrest of two suspects believed to be part of a logistics network supporting kidnapping gangs in the state. Police said the suspects have made useful confessional statements that are helping ongoing investigations.
Jimoh stressed that the suspects were not arrested at the airport and urged the public to ignore reports suggesting otherwise, describing them as misleading and capable of causing unnecessary panic.
Earlier, FAAN had announced that security operatives arrested four suspected bandits near the airport after receiving a distress alert about suspicious individuals around the perimeter fence leading to the Eleyewo community.
FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, said the suspects attempted to flee when security officials approached them but were eventually arrested and handed over to the police.
The aviation authority also dismissed a viral image circulating online that allegedly showed a violent incident at the airport, saying it was false and unrelated to any event at the facility.
Despite the conflicting statements, both FAAN and the police maintained that there was no security breach at the airport and assured travellers that security around the facility remains intact.
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