A passenger has been taken into custody for allegedly stealing a laptop onboard an Ibom Air aircraft during a Lagos-Abuja flight.
As stated in a statement released by the airline on Thursday, the incident occurred on Wednesday, July 26, during the boarding process of Ibom Air flight Q1300 to Abuja.
According to Aniekan Essienette, the spokesperson for Ibom Air, the suspect involved in the theft is identified as David Ogeneochuko. He allegedly stole the laptop from another passenger’s bag placed in the overhead cabin.
The owner of the laptop became suspicious of David’s movements within the aircraft and decided to check on the laptop’s location. To his dismay, he discovered that the laptop was missing and promptly alerted the crew members, prompting a search for the missing item.
After a brief delay of approximately half an hour, the laptop was found in David’s possession. As a result, he was immediately removed from the flight and handed over to the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) for further investigation, which later handed him over to the Police for additional probing.
Subsequent inquiries by the police revealed that the suspect is part of a large syndicate that specializes in stealing items onboard aircraft.
In an act of cooperation, the passenger who owned the laptop voluntarily disembarked from the flight to assist in the investigation.
Ibom Air has taken a strong stance against criminal activities onboard its flights and made it clear that it will prosecute any offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
