Theft of newly installed lighting system at Lagos Airport prompts investigation.
A theft at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria's busiest airport, has resulted in the disappearance of a recently installed lighting system on one of its runways. The incident was confirmed by an airport authority spokesperson in conversation with the BBC.
A probe is now underway to bring the culprits to justice and to recover the stolen components, according to Yakubu Funtua, the aforementioned spokesperson. The exact timeline of the theft remains uncertain.
Local press sources have suggested the involvement of airport employees in the act. These ground lights, put into operation last November, had ended a longstanding prohibition on nighttime landings on that section of the airport.
The robbery forced domestic airlines to divert to the international section of the airport, and subsequently taxi about 4km (2.5 miles) back to the appropriate terminal, leading to considerable flight disruptions.
Funtua asserted to the BBC that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is committed to rectifying all vulnerabilities to preempt any such incidents in the future.
Nigeria's Punch newspaper quoted an anonymous source stating that the thieves capitalized on the months-long closure of the runway for maintenance to pilfer the lighting system. The source further accused a "syndicate" of airport workers and "outside accomplices" for orchestrating a series of thefts.
