Man allegedly steals foreigner’s N290,000 onboard Ibom Air

Drama unfolded onboard an Ibom Air flight on Wednesday after an unidentified male passenger was arrested by Aviation Security officers and handed over to the police for allegedly stealing N290,000 from a foreign national’s luggage in the aircraft’s overhead compartment.

The incident, which occurred before the flight’s departure from Lagos to Abuja, reportedly caused a commotion that required the swift intervention of security personnel to restore order. The suspect was subsequently deboarded and taken into custody.

An eyewitness who was onboard the aircraft said the incident occurred around 7:00 a.m. as boarding was being finalised. According to witnesses, the foreign passenger raised an alarm after discovering that N290,000 in cash was missing from his bag, which he had kept in the overhead compartment.

The witness, who requested anonymity for personal reasons, said the cabin crew promptly intervened and began investigating. Another passenger then claimed to have seen a man handling the foreigner’s bag moments earlier. The suspect, however, denied any wrongdoing.

As tension mounted, the foreign passenger maintained that the missing sum was N290,000.

 The suspect’s hand luggage was searched, but the money was not initially found.

Another airport staff member, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said the missing cash was eventually found on the suspect after another observant passenger suggested a body search.

According to him, part of the money was discovered hidden in the suspect’s socks, while the rest was concealed beneath his seat.

When contacted on Thursday, the Spokesperson for Ibom Air, Annie Essienette, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect was in police custody.

She said, “Yes, the incident is true, and the timely intervention of both the crew and security operatives helped to restore calm immediately. The suspect was handed over to the police. However, the victim is not interested in pressing charges, so the suspect may be released.”(Punch)