Ololade Adeyanju/
The Federal Government has countered the claims by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, that he was harassed by security agents on arrival at the Abuja airport today.
Minister of State for Aviation,
Hadi Sirika, accused Abubakar of raising false alarm over his encounter with security operatives.
Abubakar had complained that he was searched by security operatives upon his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from Dubai, describing it as an attempt to intimidate him and members of his entourage.
The PDP also issued a statement flaying the action of the security agents.
The party said it “condemned in the strongest terms the unleashing of a special security squad of army, police and paramilitary agencies by the Muhammadu Buhari presidency to physically harass our presidential candidate.”
It alleged that the “Gestapo-style attack” was carried out “on orders from above.”
The statement said the agents “rushed our candidate… and attempted to physically manhandle him before invading his aircraft with dangerous weapons to conduct a violent search.”
It said the search did not turn up “anything incriminating” but that the agents “tampered with” Abubakar’s belongings including campaign documents.
But Sirika said in a statement there was nothing out of the ordinary about the search conducted on Atiku.
He said it was a “routine process” which applies to all international arrivals “unless the passenger is the president of Nigeria”.
“This is a mischievous attempt to grab the headlines. Nigerians need to know that one of the resolutions of the Atiku team at their recently-concluded, opulently-held Dubai retreat was to embark on scaremongering. This is one of such.
“For the records, all incoming passengers on international flights go through customs, Immìgration, health and security screening.
“Where the aircraft is using the private, charter wing, as the PDP Candidate did, such arrivals are met by a team of the Immìgration, customs and other security agencies.
“They go to the arriving aircraft as a team. The airport authorities confirm that this is a routine process, applying to all international arrivals, including the minister unless the passenger is the President of Nigeria. The President, the Vice President and passengers aboard planes on the Presidential air fleet use the Presidential wing of the airport.
“It is also important to state that even in the Presidential Wing of the airport the President of Nigeria uses, there is the presence of Immìgration and other security officials who must stamp his or her passport on arrival.”
The minister added that while it is true that the task force at the airport checked the former vice-president’s travel bag, “he was accorded full respect as a senior citizen”.
“These checks are mandatory, conventional, internationally applied and routine,” he said, adding that “no one is excused from them under our laws”.
“Law-abiding citizens are encouraged to respect the laws of the country and our VIPs should not seek to be treated over and above the citizens they wish to serve,” Sirika added
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