nigeria airports
Top Story

Increased Security Concerns At Nigeria Airports After Med-View Stowaway Incident

707

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat began as a survival story of a stowaway teenager has quickly evolved into a debate about the safety of our nation’s airports. A 15-year-old boy traveled from  Lagos to London roundtrip in the wheel compartment of a Med-View Airline Boeing 747, last Saturday, raising security issues that could affect millions of airline passengers.

Despite an estimated N174 billion spent on Airport remodeling in Nigeria as announced by the Senate Committee on Aviation in the Seventh (7th) National Assembly, stakeholders believe that the job done so far does not compare in any way with the amount pumped into the project. When compared to similar projects in other countries of the world, ours is way below global standards. The security at Nigerian airports is getting scary by the day with abysmal attitude of security officials.

“We are looking into the incident to find how it happened and to prevent a recurrence,”  said Sam Adurogboye, of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Adurogboye said the authorities were “disturbed by the incident because of its implications for air safety”.

 

Per Second News investigation showed that many of the major airports  in Nigeria have unsafe perimeters. Airport officials have not been able to provide Surveillance video to show how the teenager scaled through the perimeter fences that are below    6-feet high.

“He may very well have scaled a section of our fence line, under cover of darkness,” said an airport official speaking under the condition of anonymity.

How the teenager survived at an altitude of 32,000 feet was a mystery, said Adurogboye.

Hypoxia or oxygen deficiency normally sets in from about 10,000 feet and would quickly render a person unconscious.
Temperatures at that altitude plunge to -48 degrees Celsius, causing hypothermia.

“Something broke down here,” transportation safety expert David Ayoade said. “We need to be spending more time looking at the outside of our airports and the perimeters of those airports, given the fact that we’ve seen a successful breach.”

Passengers on Thursday questioned the ministry of Transportation/ Aviation’s ability to keep travelers safe and prevent terrorism attacks, citing recent stowaway incidents.

“God forbid, it might have been a bomb or a suicide terrorist, it is unacceptable, said Umaru Abubakar, an airport forex dealer.

“If a 15-year-old can do this, who else can do this? What if it was someone else with an explosive that got on that plane? Mrs Agnes Duru, a passenger asked our reporter.

“Any publicized breach of security is unsettling to the public, both in terms of undermining our perception of safe air travel and in terms of increasing cynicism about the entire aviation security process,” an aviation security expert said.

Airport perimeter breaches are far from rare in Nigeria, In March last year the body of a stowaway was discovered in the undercarriage of an Arik Air jet flying from Lagos to New York.

Another body was found on an Arik Air flight from Lagos when it landed in Johannesburg in November last year.

A Nigerian stowaway Chris Dikeh was found frozen to death in the undercarriage of a South African Airline passenger jet at Dulles Airport in Washington,  in 2014,after the plane landed from Senegal.

Dikeh, with a Nigerian Passport and in his mid-30s, was frozen in temperatures around -60°C.

The deceased boarded the aircraft from Dakar, Senegal, his body was discovered in the wheel well of the plane parked at Dulles International Airport in Washington, according to an email sent to Per Second News by SAA spokesperson Mr Tlali at the time.

Harsh social and economic conditions in Nigeria are forcing many people to undergo risky journeys searching for greener pastures in Europe and the United States.

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Updated: UTME Controversy: JAMB Registrar Sobs, Apologizes as Thousands to Re-Take Exam

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has formally accepted full responsibility...

Student Loan Process Improvement: Education Ministry, NELFUND, Stakeholders Inaugurate Committee

To optimize the disbursement process of the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)...

Driver’s Licenses, Number Plates to Cost More – JTB

The cost of driver’s licences and number plate for Nigerians is set...

Just in: Akpabio’s Case Takes New Turn as Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan Faces Contempt Claims

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja on...

Police Crack Down on N452m, $210,000 Fraud Ring, Arrest Canadian, Nigerian Suspects

Two high-profile individuals have been arrested by the Nigeria Police Force for...

FG Takes Steps to Revamp Power Sector, Launches DisCos Overhaul Pilot

By Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah In a bid to revamp Nigeria’s beleaguered electricity...

ASUU election: Prof. Chris Piwuna in, Prof. Victor Osodeke out

      The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has elected...

Insecurity: Northern Governors Throw Weight Behind State Police

In a significant move, the Northern States Governors’ Forum, comprising the governors...

Nigeria’s Accountant General Ogunjimi Pushes for Public Finance Bill Passage

Mr. Shamseldeen Ogunijimi, the Accountant General of the Federation, says he is...

Water supply to Abuja satellite towns, top priority of Tinubu govt – Wike

Mr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has said...

Near Empty Treasury, Chaotic Economy: Tinubu Describes What He Inherited

President Bola Tinubu revealed that his administration inherited a dire financial situation,...

American-born Pope Leo XIV emerges new Catholic Pope

A new leader for world’s 1.5 billion Catholics has emerged. He is...

Breaking: New Pope Emerges as the new pontiff

A new pope has been elected, who is the first American pope...

Breaking: White Smoke Rises, Signaling Papal Successor

White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday,...

Pres. Tinubu Arrives in Anambra State on Official Visit

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Akwa, Anambra State capital, for an...

Wigwe’s Death: Probe Points to US Helicopter Company and Pilot’s Culpability

Pilot spatial disorientation led to the helicopter crash that killed former Access...

Updated: Tax Reform Bills to Transform Governance, Tax Collection in Nigeria – Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has affirmed that the passage of the two...

Breaking: VeryDarkMan regains freedom

Social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has been released...

Just in: Lagos Council Chairman, Kolade Alabi, Slumps 

Panic rippled through the All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat in Ikeja, Lagos...