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Tag: Murtala Muhammed International Airport

  • NDLEA recovers 193 wraps of cocaine in passengers’ socks

    NDLEA recovers 193 wraps of cocaine in passengers’ socks

    Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have discovered one hundred and ninety-three (193) wraps of cocaine inside passenger sucks.

    The drug, which tested positive for cocaine with a total weight of 3.4kgs was detected during routine screening of passengers on an Emirates flight from Dubai. The suspect who is a commercial bus driver in Lagos has also been arrested.

    Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd,) has called for stringent monitoring of Dubai-Lagos route by officers.

    According to Abdallah, “This is an interesting arrest and I commend the officers for the discovery. Dubai-Lagos route is gradually gaining notoriety and we are monitoring it closely. Let me assure members of the public that the NDLEA is working very hard in preventing illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse in the country.”

    NDLEA commander at the airport, Ahmadu Garba gave the name of the suspect as Maduewesi Ugochukwu Samuel. “During screening of passengers at the arrival hall, officers noticed that he had some items attached to his legs.

    NDLEA co“It was cleverly done, but not good enough to escape our notice. When his socks was pulled down, suspected wraps of narcotics found to be cocaine fell down on the floor. He was immediately arrested and taken for further investigation,” Ahmadu stated.

    The suspect who is a commercial bus driver told narcotic investigators that he wanted to quit driving for supply of electrical appliances.

    “I am a commercial bus driver in Lagos. I am from Anambra State. My friend who lives outside the country introduced me into drug trafficking.

    “He promised to help me with capital to start my business, but after sponsoring my trip to Dubai, he told me to smuggle drugs to Nigeria.

    “I was instructed to conceal the drugs in my socks and that it will not be detected. They also offered to pay me the sum of N800,000 for safe delivery of the drug. I had wanted to start a supply business in electrical appliances but I am regretting my action because my wife is all alone while I am in NDLEA custody.

    “This is her first pregnancy and she needs my attention. This is my greatest concern,” Samuel stated.

    He completed his secondary education in 1998 at Onitsha before coming to Lagos in search of greener pastures.

    The suspect will be charged to court soon.

     

  • NDLEA nab two for drug trafficking

    NDLEA nab two for drug trafficking

    Two suspects identifed as Chinweuba Echezona, 54, and Louis Ekwueme have been arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly trafficking N39 million worth of cocaine to the country.

    The suspects who came in from Dubai were held at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos with 252 wraps of the substance weighing 4.35kgs.

    According to NDLEA, the suspects who were promised N500,000 each to traffick the drugs into Nigeria ingested some wraps and stuffed others in their luggage but were fished out during screening.

    The agency’s spokesperson, Ofoyeju Mitchell stated that while one of the suspects was a driver, the other was a trader “Both suspects ingested some wraps of drugs and concealed others on their bodies. The estimated value of the drug is thirty-nine million naira (N39, 000,000),” he said.

    Quoting the agency’s Commander at the airport, Ahmed Garba, Ofoyeju said both suspects were under investigation for unlawful importation of cocaine from Dubai.

    He said: “Chinweuba Martins Echezona, 54, packed 103 wraps of cocaine on his waist and ingested 69 wraps weighing 2.745kgs, while Ekwueme Louis, 44, concealed 75 wraps in his luggage and ingested 5 (five) wraps.

    “Preliminary investigation by the agency revealed that the suspects were promised half a million naira each to smuggle the drugs from Dubai to Nigeria.

    “Their trip was fully sponsored by an unidentified drug trafficking organisation. However, efforts are ongoing to trace and arrest their sponsors. Martins (Echezona) is married with five children while Louis is married with three children.”

    Confessing to the crime, Echezona told narcotic investigators that frustration pushed him to it.

    “I am a driver but for some time now I have been out of job. I have been searching for job and my condition is so bad that I could not feed and discharge my responsibilities as a father to my wife and five children.

    “This was the reason I went into drug trafficking because they promise to pay me half a million naira. I did it in order to survive the economic hardship,” he claimed.

    For Ekwueme, poverty was to blame for his involvement in drug trafficking.

    “I used to sell jewelleries but I have lost everything including my shop due to family problem. I feel ashamed that I cannot take care of my family and pay the school fees of my children. My involvement in drug smuggling was due to financial poverty.”

    While directing that their case be investigated speedily, Chairman, NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Abdallah (rtd) warned drug traffickers to desist as they will meet a brick wall at all exit points.

    “Let me assure members of the public that the NDLEA has taken measures to fortify the exit points in the country. Drug traffickers will find it difficult to break through our security barriers.

    “The ultimate objective is to have a society that is free from illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse. This arrest is being investigated and we hope to trace other persons linked to the crime. The suspects will soon be charged to court,” he said.

  • Fuel Scarcity: Travellers, airport users groan over hike fares

    Travellers and other airport users are currently going through hard times following the increase in transport fares by shuttle operators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that fares were hiked from N100 to N150 for all destinations within the airport environment while a journey to Ikeja from the airport now cost N200 instead of N150.

    A NAN Correspondent who monitored the situation on Tuesday observed that some persons were seen trekking to their destinations due to lack of commercial vehicles and the increment in fares.

    Those mostly affected by the increment were cleaners and other low income earners working within the international airport and the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) premises.

    However, Mr Olalekan Agboola, General Secretary, Airport Cab Operators, told NAN that they had to increase fares due to the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.

    “The increment is because of the fuel scarcity. We are praying that the situation presently should return to normal. When everything is okay the transport fare will also drop.

    “We are begging the government that it should intervene because people are seriously suffering right now,’’ Agboola said.

    A cab operator, Mr Sule Ibrahim, said he queued for several hours to buy 20 litres of fuel at N4,000 to enable him to work for the day.

    He said: “We buy fuel at very expensive prices and until the scarcity ends, we don’t have any option than to increase transport fares.

    “We are appealing to government to look into the situation. It is affecting us negatively because we are spending so much time at petrol stations’’.

    Mrs Ada Imohinmi, a ticket officer at the MMIA, said the situation was becoming unbearable, especially for low income earners working at the airport.

    “We are really suffering because of this fuel scarcity. I live at Agbado Ijaiye and now I have to leave home very early.

    “The cost of transportation not only within the airport has gone up and yet, my salary is still the same. So, it is not easy to cope,’’ she added.

    On his part, a traveller, Mr Uche Emenike, said he had no choice other than to pay any amount demanded by the cab operators in order not to miss his flight.

    Emenike said: “From the local airport to the international wing, they charged me N2,000 instead of the usual N1,500 but I had to pay because I was a bit late for my flight’’.

    Another traveller, Mr Michael Ajayi, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to find a lasting solution to the lingering fuel scarcity.

    “I just flew in from Abuja and the fuel situation is the same. The government should work harder to fulfill the change promises to Nigerians,’’ he said.

     

  • 172 Nigerians deported from Libya 

    The Libyan Government Friday deported 172 Nigerians over several immigration irregularities.

    The deportees arrived the hajj camp area of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport around 7:00am comprising 166 males and six females.

    The Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Mr. Ekpedeme King confirmed the deportation with our correspondent on phone, but could not give the registration number of the aircraft that brought them into the country.

    The deportees our correspondent gathered were repatriated into the country with chartered aircraft from Libya.

    The returnees were received by various agencies such as Immigration that checked their identities to ascertain their nationalities, Police, National Agency for Protection and Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, and other relevant stakeholders.

    As at the time of filing this report, the returnees had moved away from the Lagos Airport to their various destinations.

    King told our correspondent that the deportees were returned to the country for overstaying their visas in Libya and other immigration offences in the North African country.

    He said, “What I can tell you is that some Nigerians were deported today (yesterday) for immigration offences. Most of those brought overstayed Libya.

    One of the deportees, who simply identified himself as Chris claimed that he travelled out of Nigeria about two years ago in search of greener pastures.

    He however insisted that he didn’t commit any crime in Libya that would warrant his deportation back to Nigeria.

    Last November, about 76 Nigerians were deported from three European countries including United Kingdom.

     

  • Drug Trafficking: NDLEA arrests three clearing agents, exporter

    Drug Trafficking: NDLEA arrests three clearing agents, exporter

    Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have arrested an exporter and three clearing agents in connection with unlawful exportation of illicit drugs out of the country.

    The seized drugs weighing 54.76kg include 24.7kg of methamphetamine disguised as artificial hair, 2.810kg of cocaine concealed in foodstuff and 27.250kg of diazepam.

    The seized drugs have a street value of two hundred and twenty-two million naira.

    Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah in his reaction to the harvest of arrests said that the Agency has recorded impressive success in prosecuting drug traffickers.

    “Anyone whose action contravenes the NDLEA Act shall not escape justice. Many traffickers have been successfully convicted at the law courts by the Agency. Clearing agents are liable under the law when narcotic drugs are traced to their shipments.

    “They therefore have a responsibility to know their customers and produce them on request. It is pertinent for them to take necessary measures in preventing their consignment from being used in smuggling narcotic drugs. Investigations into the cases have commenced and more arrests are in the offing,” Abdallah assured.

    NDLEA Airport commander, Ahmed Garba said that the command is working to improve productivity.

    “Preliminary investigation has shown that two of the clearing agents, Akpan Jacob and Nwaeyizia Chibuzor Sylvester conspired to export 24.7kg of methamphetamine. Another agent, Ndafia Mike had 50 packs each of diazepam tablets and injections while an exporter, Orji Sunday Otuu was found in possession of 2.810kg of cocaine. We are leaving no stone unturned in improving the operational activities of the command,” Garba stated.

    Akpan who is married with five children said that he agreed to take the job because of financial difficulties.

    “I am from Akwa Ibom State and I work as a clearing agent. I was given this job by another clearing agent, Sylvester. Ordinarily, I would not have accepted the job but I had no choice because of my family problems,” he stated.

    On his part, Sylvester told officials that Akpan was the one that mounted pressure on him to do the job.

    In his words, “I was never interested in this job but the pressure from Akpan was too much so I gave him the job. I also gave him one hundred thousand naira (₦100,000) before my arrest”.

    He hails from Delta State.

    Odofia Mike in his statement said that he was called to pick up the bag and send it to Guinea Conakry.

    “A customer called me to collect a bag at the motor park. I collected it and went to the airport but during examination, some injections and tablets of diazepam were found inside the bag. This was how I was arrested. I have no idea that there are injections there,” Odofia stated.

    Orji Sunday Otuu who exports foodstuff to India was found to have hidden 2.810kg of cocaine inside foodstuff.  “I used to export African foodstuff and spices to India. This time around, I was tempted to hide cocaine inside the foodstuff. I had wanted to make about ten million naira profit but things did not go according to my plan,” Orji lamented.

    The suspects will soon be charged to court.

  • Bristow helicopter crashes in Lagos

    Bristow helicopter crashes in Lagos

    … 11 survive crash

    Another Bristow helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos area on Wednesday morning.

    The chopper, our correspondent gathered, disappeared from radar after it took off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

    The chopper crashed at 136.70 nautical miles from AEHA Field in Bonny Island, inward MMIA.

    There are 11 people on board the helicopter at the time of the accident.

    The Spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview.

    He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy and other emergency handling agencies have rescued all the passengers alive.

    Farinloye said,” It is Bristow Helicopter that ditched into the high seas. Nigerian Navy and others have rescued the occupants. Nobody died. We are still trying to get the coordinates of how the chopper crashed into water.”

    Officials of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said the chopper’s debris had been recovered.

     

  • Police evacuate remains of suspected stowaway

    Police evacuate remains of suspected stowaway

    The Police yesterday evacuated the remains of a suspected stowaway discovered in the undercarriage compartment of an Arik Air aircraft Airbus A 345 Registration CS-TFX at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The corpse, whose identity was yet to be ascertained, had been deposited at an undisclosed mortuary following due diligence by the relevant aviation and security agencies.

    Arik Air confirmed the incident.

    In a statement by its spokesman, Adebanji Ola, the airline said: “‘A stowaway was today discovered on an Arik Air plane at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    “Arik Air engineers were checking the aircraft in preparation for a flight when the body of the stowaway was discovered in the main wheel well of the aircraft.

    “Investigations are still on to determine where the stowaway originated.

    The aircraft has been fumigated by the Port Health authorities while the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) officials are carrying out their investigation.”

    It was learnt that Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was reviewing footages of the CCTV system and airside security operations with a view to identifying the gaps and personnel failure, if any, to take remedial actions.

    The Authority had intensified efforts at improving security and safety at both land and airside through the installation of high tech screening machines, CCTV surveillance cameras and patrol teams.

    Some weeks ago, a teenage suspected stowaway, Samuel Ogundeyi, was arrested after he was found in the wheel well compartment of an aircraft operated by Tag Aviation.

    It was gathered the aircraft Ogundeyi was found in was parked in the Execujet hangar at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) Lagos.

    He was discovered at about 12 noon by the pilots of the aircraft with registration number M-MYNA while carrying out a routine inspection before starting the engine.

    The teenager confessed he gained access into the hangar through the facility of the Headquarters, Air Defence Corp of Nigerian Air Force located very close to the Presidential Lounge at night with the assistance of a collaborator, he described as a brother.

  • Concern over security lax at Lagos cargo terminal

    Concern over security lax at Lagos cargo terminal

    Less than three months after the Federal Government re- opened the Customs bonded warehouse at the cargo terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, over security infractions, stakeholders have expressed fears over laxity of security at the terminal.

    The experts including aviation security consultants, ground handling companies and airport workers, are concerned over unauthorised movement of persons around the export cargo terminals.

    They said if something urgent is done to address the infraction, there could be breach of security in the sensitive area where as unauthorised persons could compromise the safety and security of goods flown in and out of the country.

    The experts who craved anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, alleged that the airport authority is not doing enough in restricting access in and out of the cargo complex.

    They said the laxity put up by airport security personnel is at variance with the agreement reached by all stakeholders before the terminal was re-opened last December after a two weeks closure.

    A clearing agent, who identified himself simply as Idris Kanti, said the cargo warehouse has become a fertile ground for people who have no business around the cargo export terminal. He accused the airport security personnel of shirking in their duties of regulating the movement of persons in and around the export terminal.

    A source hinted that the porous nature of the export cargo warehouse may have informed the decision of Nahco Aviance,  one of the ground handling companies to engage the services of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDS) to help protect its facilities and equipment within the terminal.

    “ In fact, we now flag operators and local regulators where we foresee any threat to Aviation Safety or Security and most especially Air Cargo business,” a source in NAHCO said, stressing that operators must collective work together  to ensure that “we never experience any  accident this 2015 and beyond.”

    He said  NAHCO has supported security efforts by directly engaging the services of the NSCDC to further help strengthen airport/ cargo security. “We should  assiduously work together to target Nigeria’s delisting from the list of High-Risk countries by 2017,” the official stated.

    But, the association of clearing licensed agents, has denied any complicity of its members in touting around the export cargo terminal.

    Its chairman, Alloysious Igwe, said its members carry out operations at the export terminal in line with agreed rules of engagement.

    Worried over the trend, an aviation security expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd) has called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) to carry out an audit of the registered clearing agents to enable the authority regulate their operations around the airport .

    A source close to one of the ground handling firms said security at the export terminals has worsened since the re-opening of  the cargo warehouses in December, 2014.

    “At that time, there was tight security at the entry points into the terminal.  All visitors were asked to identify themselves by FAAN security officials before entry. There were always long queues of people who were denied entry. There were no hawkers seen. The whole area was neat and decent,” the official said.

    “However, with the passage of time, FAAN has relaxed its guards. Now, there are no more checks of identity cards at the entrance of the terminal. Agents and touts who have no business at the airports mill round daily. Now, there are nall manners of hawkers selling foods and fruits. FAAN look the other way and refused to take steps to remedy the situation.”

    The source said FAAN last year assured the Comptroller-General of Customs that it would increase its manpower in the area of security.

    Said the official: “The increasingly porous security was the reason NAHCO Aviance enlisted the services of armed Civil Defence Corps. But these could only man those areas concessioned to NAHCO, not the general security of the Airport

    “Stakeholders think FAAN is not doing enough. They said the only concern of FAAN is how to levy those who happen to pass by the airport. A worker in the sprawling cargo complex even joked that a time would come when FAAN would start taxing every tree and grass that is unfortunate enough to grow in that area,” the official said.

    But, in a swift reaction, the Director in charge of Cargo Development  at FAAN, Dr Uche  Ofulue, countered, saying the authority is doing its best to ensure improved security at the cargo terminal .

    He said the authority would not look the other way and allow unauthorised persons carry out illegal activities at the cargo terminals .

    The need for improved security, he explained has become imperative because of the quest by government to maximise the potentials of air cargo business in the country, pointing out that this has brought about the designation of some airports as perishable cargo airport by the Federal Government.

    He saidthe Federal Government will support any effort aimed at maximising the potentials in the country’s air cargo sector

    He said: “Some strategic airports in Nigeria such as  Akure, Makurdi, Minna, Abuja, Owerri, Calabar, Ilorin, Jalingo, Jos, Uyo, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt have been designated fresh and dry cargo airports, for the direct export of fresh agricultural produce from the surrounding local communities to markets in Europe, the US  and other countries across the world.”

    Meanwhile, Arik  Air, has called on the government to deploy armed policemen at the nation’s airports to tighten security in view of the growing terror threats in the country .

    The airline’s made this known when the new Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Dorothy Gimba, visited the airline’s headquarters in Lagos.

    The Deputy Managing Director, Captain Ado Sanusi, said to further tighten security at the terminal buildings and the airside, there is need to have armed police officers at these areas, especially at this time when insurgency is threatening peace in the world, forcing various countries to restructure their security systems, including airport security.

    Sanusi said that the presence of armed police officials is necessary in order to checkmate disruptive passengers who overreact when flights are rescheduled or cancelled, adding that cancellation and flight rescheduling are a trend in international air travel, which passengers should be familiar with.

    He assured the new Police boss that Arik Air would continue to support the activities of the Command and gladly respond when called upon to assist.

    “In view of the new security situation in the world, there is need to have armed policemen at the terminal buildings and at the airside of the airport. This will help to tighten security at the airport and to also complement what the Aviation Security (AVSEC) is doing. This has become very important because of the new security threats in the world and even in the country.

    “Arik will continue to support the police and whenever we are called upon we will respond. Police can partner with us in order to fortify security in our operations,” Sanusi said.

    The Commissioner of Police, Gimba expressed appreciation for the support Arik Air has given the Command, saying that the police would continue to expect such support from the airline.

    She observed that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos is the hub of aviation in the country and therefore records the highest activities in all the airports, adding that she was fast learning the ropes about the sector.

    “I came to make myself known because when you come to a place you ought to make yourself known to the community in which you are to take charge of, and policing the airport is not particularly funny. One needs to pay attention, especially to emerging crimes and security threats all over the world,” Gimba said.

    She commended Arik Air for its engagement of sophisticated security equipment, sniffer dogs and detection devices which she said, assuring that the Command would work with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to see how they could be utilised.

    “I will study the environment and look at the areas where police presence is needed. Before you can make changes you must understand the system. We commend Arik Air for the operational vehicle it provided us recently. We, on the other hand will also strengthen security in your operations,” she said.

  • New security measures at airports nationwide

    New security measures at airports nationwide

    Huge crowd at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport ,Lagos is generating intense concerns for the Federal Government, no thanks to poor access control at the nation’s premier gateway. As part of measures to stem any vulnerability, aviation authorities are designing new measures to re- jig the security architecture , KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR, reports.

    THE Federal Government is  set to re- jig the security architecture at airports nationwide. The new move, it was learnt, is coming on the heels of vulnerabilities observed at some airports.

    Government, it was learnt, is getting worried over some  unauthorised operations around the airport, which could pose serious threat to airport safety and security.Chief among such operations is touting. .

    The Minister of Aviation , Chief Osita Chidoka last week, described it as a sore point at the nation’s gateways.

    He said it is disappointing to find people milling around the arrival halls of the Lagos International , for activities that are unauthorised .

    Such practice , he said, is alien to aviation in other parts of the world.

    He has, therefore, directed relevant aviation authorities to rid the airports of persons who engage in unauthorised operations .

    Some industry watchers have complained about the porous security situation at the Lagos International Airport, adducing  access control at major airports as a sore point.

    Some aviation stakeholders  are clamouring for unified measures that would raise the stakes for airport security.

    Some experts have canvassed a review of the security system at the airports.

    Part of the new measures ,  experts suggested, is the overhaul of access control points into major international airport terminals to reduce overcrowding of unauthorised persons around arrival and departure halls.

    Relevant aviation agencies including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), it was learnt, have  designed a blueprint to reduce the number of persons that mill around arrival halls  particularly at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Worried over the ugly trend, aviation minister , Chief Osita Chidoka last week directed FAAN and other security agencies at the Lagos International Airport to rid the arrival halls of touts, who he said, have no business at the terminal.

    Chidoka said the presence of such people is giving the nation a bad reputation, even as they remain big security risks around the airport.

    Besides,the minister directed FAAN to design a security blueprint that will ensure that fewer persons are around the operational areas of the airport.

    He spoke of plans by government to put in place new measures to improve security, part of which he said will include the installation of new close circuit television cameras.

    The minister spoke of the need to boost security surveillance at airport terminals with the use of technology as it is the practice in other parts of the world .

    Chidoka said more aviation security personnel will be trained on latest technology to protect the airports in line with regulations and standard practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation  (ICAO).

    He also spoke of plans to re- route the movement of vehicles around the airport terminal to facilitate free flow of traffic , which could threaten security around the airports.

    He said : ‘’If you have issue with the crowd at the airport and you don’t want the military to remove those people who are touts from the airport, then we have a problem in our hands .

    “Do you want our airport to be an all comers’affairs or do we want some controls to ensure that those who use the airport are legitimate and people who have business to do at the airport?.”

    The minister identified vehicular movement around the airport as part of the problems posing threat to airport security.

    He said there is an urgent need to re- route the movement of vehicles to reduce the crowd around the airport road.

    Chidoka said: ”The traffic control situation at the international airport is a little complex but we are going to resolve it. Since I came from a traffic control organisation, we are going to figure out how to make that traffic work. The challenges are clear, it is overcrowding, it is a lot of people going at the same time to the same destination.”

    He also spoke of plans to rework the schedule of airlines to reduce pressure on airport facilities.

    He said :” So many  airlines coming about the same time and the departure is about the same time, so we are looking at how to optimise the spaces we have  at the airport and see  whether there are other points from the airport that passengers can check-in through and be taken by bus to the international terminal.

    ‘’ I have set up a committee on airport optimisation, to look at all the spaces we have in GAT, in MMA2 and see whether a check-in process can be done without everybody having to come to   international terminal. So, we are looking at that and we are hoping that, that will help in solving that traffic problem.”

    He said a master plan would be put in place  to address airport security and other challenges .

    In his contribution, an aviation security expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu  (rtd), has canvassed a review of the security programme for the nation’s airports and airlines as one of the steps to boost security at the gateways .

    The review of the airport and airlines security programme, Ojikutu said, has  become imperative in the face of the current security challenges facing the country , for which the airports are not insulated.

    Ojikutu ,who is the chief executive officer of Centurion Securities, said government must quickly review the security programme .

    The former military commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos said the challenge of access control at the airport has become worrisome because of the presence of many security and para -military personnel at the terminal building.

    He said the presence of so many security personnel at the airport  terminal building has become worrisome because it is difficult to know which agency or outfit should take responsibility if there is any infraction  on safety and security.

    Ojikutu said : ‘’I do not think we are really doing enough in airport security . Government needs to raise the bar on issues affecting security at the airport.

    “First, it is important for government to review the aviation security programme for the airports and the entire system.

    “The content of the security programme is derived from the manual developed for the airport systems and airlines. All airports and airlines are supposed to have a security programme.

    Speaking in an interview, security expert and  chief executive officer of Avscon Securities Limited,  Mr Bayo Babatunde, recommended urgent and continuous training of aviation personnel, provision of high tech equipment and pre-emptive intelligence reports and investigation as proactive measures to ensure continued protection of Nigeria’s airports.

    But , Bayo Babatunde said that aviation security personnel  should de-emphasise physical security to intelligence gathering and use of technology.

    “The security protocols implemented at any airport are not only those things you can see with your eyes or hear; a lot evolve from a well-articulated and approved national security programme which is a resultant document based on a painstakingly documented security risk assessment and safety management system.”

    Meanwhile , FAAN said it has designed a detailed plan for the review of security architecture for airports nationwide.

    But, investigations revealed that the authority does not have the funds to cater for the security at the airports, which requires installation of gadgets and perimeter fencing

    The new security plan  includes the procurement of sophisticated counter terrorism gadgets and effective collaboration among security agencies.

    Earlier in the year, FAAN deployed next generation security system at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

    FAAN said the security system, known as ‘Advance Threat Identification X-Ray’, is located at nine different passenger checkpoints in the newly-expanded ‘D’ and ‘E’ departures halls of the terminal.

    Yakubu Dati, spokesman for FAAN, said that the system consisted of an explosives trace detector and high performance walk-through metal detectors to check passengers and their hand luggage for explosives, illegal weapons, contraband, narcotics and related items.

  • ‘Lagos airport cargo shed stays shut’

    ‘Lagos airport cargo shed stays shut’

    The Federal Government said yesterday that the cargo shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos will remain shut until terminal operators comply with new operational procedures that would not threaten national security and revenue collection.

    Operators say hundreds of millions of naira have been lost as revenue to cargo handling companies, the Federal Government through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), importers, clearing agents and freight forwarders.

    The revenue loss keeps increasing as a detachment of heavily armed security personnel have taken over the entire cargo complex carrying out search on vehicles and persons moving in and out of the area.

    The cargo shed was shut last week following violation of procedures by clearing agents at restricted sections of the terminal, which officials of NCS said constituted grave danger to security of the airports and the fiscal policies of government.

    Customs Area Comptroller in charge of the command, Mr Taju Olarenwaju who spoke with reporters said government has directed  officials to identify and allow passage for perishable  goods, medical goods and diplomatic goods , which have remained  trapped due to the crisis.

    Olarenwaju said through the command’s internal check measures, goods that fall into the specialised category of perishable, medical and diplomatic would be isolated for facilitation, such that the importers do not suffer from the infraction caused by clearing agents, who are not ready to comply with operational procedures.

    He warned that the NCS has the capacity to contain any breach from saboteurs and terrorists that are set to threaten national security and the collection of revenue for government.

    He said government’s respect for international trade regulations would not make it close cargo warehouses at the airport, adding that it is constrained to take the decision because clearing agents have demonstrated that they are not ready to comply with regulations.

    He said previous agreements signed with the agents in the past have failed as they have consistently violated rules of engagement and procedures at the cargo terminal which restricts access to some part of the cargo terminal.