THE STOWAWAY SECURITY BREACHES
Security agencies could do more to secure the airports
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, recently witnessed another horror show. On Runway 18R, the mangled body of a young man who probably dropped from the undercarriage compartment of an aircraft was found. Security operatives who removed the body for further investigation were of the conviction that it could only be another failed stowaway attempt. As the busiest gateway in Nigeria, the Lagos airport has unbeaten record of having the highest number of stowaways. Yet, all these ‘escape’ attempts on international destinations, except one, have failed. The only survivor to date is a young man who hid himself in the spares compartment of Boeing B747 operated by a Nigerian carrier, Medview Airlines in 2017. Others that hid in the wheel-well of aircraft were either crushed or killed by frozen cold.
What is obvious in all the incidents is that those who attempted to stowaway had easy access to the airport, which indicates serious frequent security breaches. It also has been established that those ill-fated Nigerians could not have had access to the restricted airside of the airport without insider support which made it possible for them to sneak into the aircraft to fly out of the country.
The Lagos airports, like many others in Nigeria, do not have comprehensive security and perimeter fencing that could prevent intruders from accessing the sterile area. But with every airworthy aircraft parked at the airport guarded by security officials, accessing them could only be possible with insider collaboration. Yet, in aviation security, insider threat is considered the most dangerous since it could enable terrorists and other criminals gain access to the airport and endanger human lives and property. That is what makes this development very serious and should be addressed.
There are several security personnel (from the Airforce, Police, DSS, etc.) working at the airports, most often at cross purposes. We recommend that these security agencies be collapsed into one with a singular mandate of protecting the airports under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Their personnel should report to the airport Chief Security Officer rather the commands from where they are posted from. There is also the need for the security operatives to be profiled at regular intervals to ensure that they are still worthy to work at the airport. Besides, there should be comprehensive coverage of the airport territory with CCTV, which must be manned 24 hours with every part, including the runway areas, well illuminated.
For years, there has been intense concern about the porous nature of security at many of our airports. In July 2019, a man, later identified as a Nigerien, jumped into the engine of Azman aircraft, which was at the holding point of the runway of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. In the aircraft were passengers who had already settled for the Lagos to Port Harcourt flight. From the video clip that was taken by a passenger on the flight and made public, the intruder was clutching a bag. What could have happened if that bag contained incendiary device and the aim was to bomb the aircraft?
On the specific case of the mangled corpse on Lagos airport runway we are aware that some of the existing security fences are dilapidated, enabling people to illegally stroll in. The federal government should expedite action on the construction of perimeter and security fences. FAAN and the aviation handling companies must also monitor the activities of officials to know those that might be working with outsiders to breach security at the airports.
Overall, greater attention should be paid to the issue of security at our airports. Our airport managers must mitigate vulnerabilities by embracing technology-driven, non-intrusive security measures.
