FAAN ejects Abuja Airport parking company over N25,000 fine scandal

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has removed a company accused of collecting N25,000 parking fines from motorists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The announcement was made by Michael Achimugu, Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), via his official X account on Friday.

The removal followed a complaint by an X user, Ogundipe, Esq. (@The_Ogundipe), over alleged irregularities in the collection of parking penalties at the Abuja airport.

What they are saying

While the name of the affected company was not revealed, Achimugu said the complaint was escalated to FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, who ordered the immediate ejection of the company responsible for the alleged illegal practice.

• “Based off the escalation of this complaint to the Managing-Director of FAAN, Ms Olubunmi Kuku, she has ordered the IMMEDIATE ejection, from the Abuja airport, of the company responsible for this illegal action,” the statement read in part.

According to him, Kuku has consistently said she would take necessary action where evidence of illegal activities exists, particularly activities that inconvenience airport users.

Achimugu said FAAN was discussing the engagement of a capable replacement company. He advised vehicle owners to comply with parking instructions at the airport.

The NCAA director described Kuku’s response as a swift intervention, noting that the issue had concerned airport users for some time.

Backstory

The complaint raised concerns about the enforcement of parking and pick-up restrictions at the Abuja airport and the payment process allegedly used by enforcement personnel.

• According to Ogundipe, personnel allegedly clamped vehicles belonging to motorists who stopped briefly in restricted areas.
• He alleged that affected motorists were taken to a red-painted container and told to pay a N25,000 penalty before their vehicles could be released.

He questioned why motorists asking to pay into an account displayed at the office were allegedly told confirmation could take several hours or days.

He alleged that some motorists were instead directed to PoS operators or accounts linked to fintech platforms such as OPay, Moniepoint and PalmPay.

The complaint mentioned names including Sani Nasiru, Bala Matazu and Yahaya Matage as allegedly appearing when some of the accounts provided by enforcement personnel were entered for payment.

Ogundipe also alleged that proof of payment would not necessarily result in the immediate release of vehicles. FAAN has not publicly disclosed the name of the company involved or details of the amount allegedly collected through the disputed channels.

Get up to speed

The development comes amid FAAN’s broader efforts to regulate commercial transportation within Nigerian airports.

• On Thursday, August 20, 2026, FAAN said it was seeking a new operational framework for Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing services at Nigerian airports.
• The authority said the framework would address passenger safety, security, accountability, operational visibility and orderly pick-up arrangements.
• FAAN said it was engaging affected operators to develop an arrangement that would allow e-hailing services to continue serving passengers while meeting airport requirements.

The authority clarified that its Airport Car Hire Rank Management System, ACHRAMS, is not an e-hailing application and was not developed to compete with Uber, Bolt or other platforms.

According to FAAN, ACHRAMS was developed to provide operational visibility and tracking within the airport environment and facilitate the accountable management of applicable concession and related airport charges.

What you should know

The parking enforcement controversy follows a separate dispute involving airport car-hire operators in July 2026.

The dispute emerged after a social media video showed drivers appearing to resist FAAN’s commercial transport requirements, amid reports that vehicles manufactured in 2020 or newer were required.

• FAAN clarified that the claim was inaccurate, saying the incident involved resistance to registration on ACHRAMS and attempts to prevent its soft and pilot launches at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
• The authority said the ACHRAMS registration requirement was for vehicles manufactured in 2012 or newer, not 2020.
• FAAN said the requirement had been communicated since 2024, with an initial compliance deadline of January 1, 2026, later extended to June 2026.

The authority subsequently considered a further extension to October 1, 2026, while reviewing the operational tariff for airport cab operators from N500 to N1,500.