Pathfinder International, a leading security company in the Nigerian aviation industry, has suspended its staff member over an attempt to dispatch medication out of the country through a passenger.
The company also confirmed the name of the medication to be Glucosamine Chondroitin.
Pathfinder said it decided to suspend the erring staff because it does not tolerate indiscipline in its operations, but said investigation was still ongoing.
Daily Trust reports that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had earlier spoken on the issue, saying the said staff was arrested for attempting to dispatch a drug through a passenger on an Ibom Air flight to Accra, Ghana on Tuesday.
A statement by Fred Omosebi, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Pathfinder Company, also confirmed the suspension of the staff to journalists.
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Omosebi stated that the staff in question had been withdrawn from all its operations, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The company kicked against the mode of attempted transportation of the medication, saying it negated its policy and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
The statement said: “Upon investigation, we discovered that the person in question is one of our staff who stated he was assisting a family relation in sending his personal medication to Accra. The medication is Glucosamine Chondroitin which has been confirmed by the NDLEA not to be a prohibited drug in Nigeria.
“The mode of transportation is, however, totally against Pathfinders’ policy and Standard Operating Procedure and we condemn it in the strongest terms. Even as investigation continues, the staff involved has been withdrawn from all Pathfinders operations pending the outcome of the investigation.
“We wish to reiterate that the action of the staff is not in tandem with the operational policies and procedures of Pathfinders International as enshrined in our security programme and practice.”
Pathfinders International is the first indigenous aviation services company in Nigeria and has over three decades of experience in the sector.