The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said it has commenced an official investigation into the circumstances surrounding the allegation of gold smuggling involving its staff members.

FAAN staff in the Aviation Security section, Ali Baffa, was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly attempting to smuggle gold worth N4.4bn out of the country in connivance with two other persons at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, announced the suspects’ arrest in a statement issued on Thursday, the same day the suspects were arrested.

Earlier, when contacted on Sunday, FAAN publicist Henry Agbebire said the authority was yet to be clear on the circumstances surrounding the development, adding that its position would be officially made on Monday.

Agbebire confirmed that the embattled security operative had been issued a query, while the outcome of its findings would inform its official position. “We have no position yet until tomorrow. Though he has been given a query, but the way it is, by tomorrow that is when DAS will get the clearer picture. You know they said it happened around the car park, the bureau de change car park, and, in all, he is still a suspect.

“Tomorrow, by the time they check with the EFCC, it will be clear if he will be charged, but temporarily it is just a query that has been issued. But a firmer and stronger position will be presented tomorrow.”

When asked on Monday for the management decision, Agbebire said FAAN is yet to decide on the matter, adding that a full-scale investigation has been launched into the matter. He said, “Well, what I can say now is that we are yet to decide on the matter; investigations have been allowed to go on; that is what we have on the matter as at now.”

The anti-graft agency accused Baffa of allegedly concealing 22.2 kilogrammes of unprocessed gold bars in his trousers to evade security checks and facilitate their illegal export.

According to the EFCC, Baffa and two other suspects, Aushabu Nasidi and Mukhtar Muhammad Dan Zaria, were intercepted during a surveillance operation by the Land and Property Fraud Section of the EFCC’s Kano Zonal Directorate.

The statement reads, “Preliminary investigations revealed that Ali Baffa allegedly concealed 22.2 kilogrammes of unprocessed gold bars estimated at over N4,400,000,000 in his trousers, with the intent to bypass security checks and hand over the precious minerals to overseas-bound passengers for illegal export out of Nigeria.”

Further investigations led to the arrest of Nasidi, whom the commission accused of supplying the gold bars to Baffa. The EFCC said one of Baffa’s alleged accomplices, Nasidi, was found with several foreign currencies, including 3,000 Saudi riyals, 40,000 Turkish lira, 199.75 Kuwaiti dinars, 20,700 Philippine pesos, 80 Australian dollars, 310 Chinese renminbi, 4,000 Algerian dinars, 40 Hong Kong dollars, 26,000 Hungarian forints and 1,000 Sudanese dinars.

The investigation later led to the arrest of Mr Dan Zaria, who allegedly supplied the gold bars to Nasidi. During interrogation, Dan Zaria allegedly told investigators that he had smuggled about 40.2 kilogrammes of gold between 1 and 11 June using the same method, according to the EFCC.

As the prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) rise by about 140 per cent in many locations across the country, marketers of the commodity are perfecting plans to massively import the product to make it more affordable and available.

Findings showed that cooking gas prices jumped from an average of N1,000 per kilogramme in January and February this year to as high as N2,400 a few days ago. Industry sources told our correspondent that the regulator is issuing licences for the importation of cooking gas.

This is also because local producers of LPG have been unable to meet domestic demands for gas, according to operators. For example, the sources stated that there is a decline in LPG supply from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery due to internal utilisation, not because the refinery exports, as is being speculated.

“The recent decline in LPG supply from the Dangote refinery, which has created a crisis in the domestic market, isn’t because of exports but is due to their internal utilisation for enhancing petroleum production capacity,” a source familiar with the development, who spoke in confidence due to the lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, stated.

The source further explained that this had to do with the refinery’s recent ramp-up to 700,000 barrels per day amid higher global fuel demand. Consequently, marketers were allowed to bring in enough LPG to end the current scarcity and crash the prices, which have risen from less than N1,000 earlier in the year to about N2,400 per kilogramme.

An official in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, who also spoke in confidence, said, “The regulator is collaborating with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other key stakeholders to further boost LPG availability in the local market.”

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, Louis Ibah, who is the spokesman for the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said marketers have committed to importing larger volumes of LPG.

“Marketers are stepping up their efforts and have committed to importing larger volumes of LPG, ensuring that supply meets demand in the weeks ahead for domestic consumers,” Ibah said.

Ibah assured Nigerians that the gas minister is addressing all issues concerning LPG availability. According to him, the minister has mandated the NMDPRA to work with stakeholders to resolve supply challenges and ensure uninterrupted gas availability for domestic use.

He added that the Dangote refinery had been urged to prioritise the supply of LPG to the local market. “Nigerians should rest assured that the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Dr Ekperikpe Ekpo, is actively addressing all issues affecting the production, distribution and supply of LPG in the country.

“The minister has mandated the NMDPRA to work with stakeholders to resolve supply challenges and ensure uninterrupted availability of gas for domestic use. And there is good news as the management of the Dangote refinery has been urged to prioritise and allocate more LPG volumes for the domestic market.

“Marketers are also stepping up their efforts and have committed to importing larger volumes of LPG, ensuring that supply meets demand soon,” he said.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, Edu Inyang, confirmed the development to our correspondent.

According to him, the depot owners are planning to ship in cooking gas to end the current scarcity in the country. He said the depot owners confirmed to him that they were planning to import LPG.

“The depot owners have confirmed to us that they are planning to import enough LPG,” he said in a chat with our correspondent on Monday.

Ibah, the gas minister’s aide, had earlier dismissed the claim that local gas producers were shipping out the product, saying the Federal Government’s restriction on LPG exports remains in place and is being enforced by the NMDPRA.

“The ban on exports of LPG announced by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Dr Ekperikpe Ekpo, is still in place to stabilise prices and is strictly enforced by the NMDPRA,” Ibah told The PUNCH.

He emphasised that none of the local producers is allowed to export cooking gas, saying all resources are focused on making the product available for Nigerians. “It’s important to note that none of our producers are currently exporting the LPG meant for cooking in Nigeria, so all resources are focused on meeting our local needs,” he said.

The government’s position comes as concerns mount over soaring cooking gas prices and supply shortages across several parts of the country. Retailers and consumers have reported difficulties accessing supplies, while prices have continued to rise.

Aside from the rising cost of cooking gas, Nigerians said the product is also not available at retail outlets, forcing many to resort to charcoal and firewood for cooking.

Ibah told our correspondent on Monday that normalcy was returning as far as cooking gas supply is concerned. But retailers countered his claim, stating that they have yet to witness the normalcy, as the commodity was still scarce as of yesterday.

The persistent increase in LPG prices is occurring despite data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority indicating that local production from refineries and gas processing plants accounted for the bulk of Nigeria’s LPG supply between April 2025 and April 2026, significantly reducing dependence on imports.

However, the increased domestic production has yet to translate into lower prices for consumers, with cooking gas now selling at N2,400 per kilogramme in several locations.

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers had earlier warned of the scarcity and worsening hardship arising from erratic supply and rising costs.

The association said marketers were paying between N25.2m and N26.2m for 20 metric tonnes of LPG, saying, “We feel that if the situation is not immediately checked, the citizens may rise against the owners of gas filling stations,” the marketers had warned.

Nigeria’s Tin Can Island Port and Lagos Port Complex in Apapa have been ranked among the world’s top 20 most improved container ports over the past five years, according to the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2025.

The World Bank, in the sixth edition of the CPPI, listed Tin Can Island Port Complex and Apapa Port Complex among the top 20 ports globally that recorded the most significant improvements in performance between 2020 and 2025.

The CPPI evaluates container port performance using indicators such as vessel turnaround time and operational efficiency based on global benchmarks. The report was compiled by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.

According to the report, Tin Can Island Port ranked 10th globally among ports with the greatest improvement over the five-year period, while Lagos Port ranked 12th.

The Container Port Performance Index provides a data-driven assessment of global port efficiency by focusing on vessel time in port.

It enables comparisons across ports and over time, helping to identify improvements and operational challenges.

The latest ranking comes as Nigeria continues to record trade surpluses. The National Bureau of Statistics reported a trade surplus of N7.54tn in the first quarter of 2026.

Data from the report showed that Tin Can Island Port improved its CPPI score by 42 points, moving from -68 in 2020 to -26 in 2025. Lagos Port also recorded a 35-point improvement, rising from -61 in 2020 to -26 in 2025.

The performance placed Nigeria among a select group of countries that recorded significant progress in vessel turnaround times, port efficiency and cargo-handling operations during the review period.

Nigeria ranked ahead of several major ports in the global improvement rankings, including France’s Marseille Port, which placed 11th with a 39-point improvement; Türkiye’s Iskenderun Port, which ranked 13th with a 34-point increase; and India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which placed 14th with a 32-point gain.

Peru’s Paita Port ranked 15th with 32 points, while China’s Keelung and Fuzhou ports occupied 16th and 17th positions respectively, each recording 27 points.

Responding to the report, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said, “With the investor-friendliness of President Bola Tinubu providing the gravitas needed for increased investment to implement our port infrastructure and equipment modernisation drive coupled with the unflinching support from the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, we have all it takes to advance the fortunes of trade and boost the national economy