By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
Authorities of Ibom Airlines Limited have said they have apprehended a passenger for alleged in-flight stealing.
A statement from the Airline endorsed by Aniekan Essienette, General Manager, Marketing and Communications and made available to newsmen on Thursday said the suspect was alleged to have stolen a laptop belonging to another passenger from the overhead cabin.
“On the morning of the 26th of July 2023, during the boarding of Ibom Air flight Q1300 from Lagos to Abuja, a passenger, OGENEOCHUKO DAVID, M., was apprehended for allegedly taking another passenger’s laptop from his bag in the overhead cabin.
“The owner of the laptop, who suspected the movement of the said Mr. David within the aircraft, decided to check where his laptop was kept and immediately realized the item was no longer there. He raised the alarm by notifying the crew members accordingly.
“A search was immediately instituted, which led to about half an hour delay, and the laptop was found with Mr. David. He was immediately offloaded and handed over to the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) for further investigation, who then handed him over to the Police for further investigation.
“The police have since confirmed that the suspect is a member of a large syndicate specializing in stealing onboard aircraft.
“The owner of the laptop voluntarily stepped down from the flight to assist with the investigation and promised to follow up with the case to its logical conclusion.” The statement explained.
The airline said it would continue to have as its corporate policy zero tolerance for criminal activities on board it’s flights and would prosecute offenders to the full extent of the law.
It would be recalled that one Kingsley Chinsunum was alleged to have stolen N100,000.00 from a wallet kept inside a bag in the overhead bin, while on board Ibom Air flight 4150 at Murtala Muhammed Aircraft Terminal Two recently.
Not too long ago, a passenger, one Mr. Adebayi Adelugba, staged the stealing of his own checked-in bag and declared it missing accusing the airline of negligence amidst threats of litigation.
“CCTV footage however caught him in the act while he was convicted of the crime of threat against Ibom Air, disturbance of public peace, and lies at the Ogba Magistrate court in Lagos, where he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two weeks imprisonment and a fine.” It concluded.
