My Yakubu Dati, General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said that additional security measures would be put in place to prevent a reoccurrence of a stowaway from the runways of the nation’s airports.
Dati said this on Thursday while addressing aviation correspondents at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja.
He stressed that the additional security measures would specifically be placed on airports without perimeter fencing.
He said that the decision was inline with the recent stowaway incident which occurred at the Benin Airport on Aug. 24.
“First, at every airport without fully functional perimeter fence, a FAAN security vehicle will be deployed to a point within full view of the aircraft as it taxies out to take off.
“And the FAAN security will maintain visual scrutiny and, if necessary, respond to any situation, until every departing aircraft is safely airborne.
“Secondly, bushes at all airports are to be cleared to ensure full view of the perimeter, the control tower, FAAN Fire and Rescue observation posts.
“And also to allow aviation security patrol teams have a sweeping view of the entire perimeter of an airport from their duty posts, “ he said.
According to him, static observation posts would be erected at strategic locations within the perimeter fence of all airports to forestall premeditated and inadvertent unauthorised access to the airside.
He said that the measure would be complemented by motorised and foot patrols.
Dati noted that the absence of perimeter fences at most of the airports had always posed a challenge to FAAN because of the huge capital outlay required in constructing the fences.
He said that some of the fences were as long as 40 kilometres, across the 22 network of airports in the country.
“Most of these projects are expected to commence in 2014, while the remaining ones will be executed in 2015, in line with the Transformation Agenda in the aviation industry,“ he said.
He said that FAAN has taken the issue of security at the country’s airports more seriously in recent times, as shown in the dismantling and removal of abandoned aircraft.