Bureaux de change operator - The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has banned Bureaux de Change (BDC) operators from all airports across the country, following Wednesday night's attack on the operators at the main Gateway Murtala Mohammed International Airport in the commercial city of Lagos that left several persons, including policemen, dead.
FAAN spokesman Yakubu Dati, who announced the decision, said the activities of the currency operators attracted unscrupulous elements to the airports.
He said the ban became necessary so that FAAN could ensure the safety of airport users and clear the environment of elements that attract miscreants to the airports.
“What we need to do is to protect lives and property of airport users across the country. We have given the BDC operators time to carry their tables and property within the car park,' he said.
Armed robbers usually target the BDC operators because their transactions involve a lot of cash in local and foreign currencies.
Wednesday night's attack followed a similar one at the nation's busiest airport last year.
Pana 15/03/2013