The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has launched an official investigation into allegations of gold smuggling involving some of its personnel.

The development follows the arrest of a FAAN Aviation Security officer, Ali Baffa, by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged attempt to smuggle gold valued at N4.4 billion out of the country through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

According to the EFCC, Baffa allegedly acted in collaboration with two other suspects.

The agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Thursday, the same day the suspects were apprehended.

When contacted on Sunday, FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, said the authority was still gathering details surrounding the incident and had yet to establish the full facts, according to The Punch.

He added that FAAN would issue an official statement on the matter on Monday.

Agbebire confirmed that the security operative at the centre of the allegations had been issued a query, noting that FAAN’s official position would be determined by the outcome of its ongoing investigation.

“We have no position yet until tomorrow. Though he has been given a query, but the way it is, by tomorrow that is when DAS will get the clearer picture. You know they said it happened around the car park, the bureau de change car park, and, in all, he is still a suspect.

“Tomorrow, by the time they check with the EFCC, it will be clear if he will be charged, but temporarily it is just a query that has been issued. But a firmer and stronger position will be presented tomorrow.”

Responding to enquiries on Monday regarding management’s decision, Agbebire said FAAN had yet to reach a conclusion on the matter, adding that the authority had commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident.

He said, “Well, what I can say now is that we are yet to decide on the matter; investigations have been allowed to go on; that is what we have on the matter as at now.”

The anti-graft agency alleged that Baffa concealed 22.2 kilogrammes of unprocessed gold bars in his trousers in an attempt to bypass security screening and facilitate their unlawful export.

The EFCC stated that Baffa was arrested alongside two other suspects, Aushabu Nasidi and Mukhtar Muhammad Dan Zaria, during a surveillance operation conducted by the Land and Property Fraud Section of its Kano Zonal Directorate.

The statement reads, “Preliminary investigations revealed that Ali Baffa allegedly concealed 22.2 kilogrammes of unprocessed gold bars estimated at over N4,400,000,000 in his trousers, with the intent to bypass security checks and hand over the precious minerals to overseas-bound passengers for illegal export out of Nigeria.”