August 02, (THEWILL) – An air passenger, travelling from Abuja to Port Harcourt, caught another passenger, who stole his N1 million wrapped in a big envelope, placed in his bag.
Confirming the theft, Air Peace stated that one Mr Vitalis Nwabuzor, onboard Abuja-PHC flight P47192 on July 27, 2023, stole the sum of N1 million, but was nabbed afterwards.
The airline made the disclosure in a press statement issued on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, by its Spokesperson, Stanley Olisa.
Mr Olisa stated that Nwabuzor stole the said amount contained in a brown envelope, but was caught by the owner of the money and with the intervention of the airline’s staff.
According to him, “During the flight, Nwabuzor took another passenger’s computer bag from the overhead cabin, took the brown envelope containing the money, put the computer bag in another luggage compartment and moved to an empty seat at the back of the aircraft.
“He was one of the first few to disembark, despite the announcement of a proper disembarkation sequence by the crew. He was eventually caught and the money was retrieved from him. Different currencies in different denominations were found on him”, the statement said.
The passenger was handed over to the security operatives of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, for onward transfer to the Police for further investigations. The police confirmed to have released him on bail and said the chance of prosecution is slim, as the owner of the money is unwilling to follow up.
Olisa stressed that Air Peace staff will continue to be security conscious and urged passengers to be more careful with their personal items on board.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
