Latest robbery at Lagos airport and matters arising

When people say wonders will never end, it’s an expression of surprise used when something unusual or unexpected happens.

This expression which is regularly used to react when the unexpected happens played up again when the news filtered into the country’s aviation sector about how a private jet belonging to ANAP Jets, owned by the business mogul, Atedo Peterside was said to have been vandalized by robbers at the supposed number one gateway into the country, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

According to the scanty information gathered, the unfortunate incident reared its head while the private jet on landing was instructed by air traffic control to hold on for traffic reasons.

Unfortunately for the jet, while holding on, some yet to be identified criminals emerged out of their hiding obviously from the bush around, made way to where the jet was holding on,forced the cargo hold opened and made away with a bag and some other personal belongings.

The latest incident was however not the first of its kind as the Lagos airport had in the recent past witnessed similar burgles and thefts from aircraft under the nose of security officials protecting the airport especially the sterile areas.

It will be recalled how in  December 2017, a Bombardier Challenger 605 private jet conveying two top Nigerian musicians,  Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popukarly known as Wizkid, and Tiwa Savage from Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, was robbed at the airport while taxiing on the runway.

Two weeks after, a similar incident reared its head when a business jet from Istanbul, Turkey on arriving the Lagos airport to pick a passenger was also burgled on the same taxiway.

Not still done with the national embarrassment, early last year, February, 2018 precisely, an aircraft belonging to Air Peace airline was also robbed around 7:35pm while taxiing to take off to Abuja.

The earlier two incidents generated controversy across the country with different groups wondering how undesirable elements including robbers could beat all the security network at the Lagos airport to gain access to sensitive areas like taxiing way to burgle an aircraft.

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While the controversy lasted, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the authority responsible for managing the airport stood in strong defense of its system claiming that it’s security strategies at the airport was in order.

Over one year after the robbery incidents took place and with the latest one, many questions are calling for answers and it is hoped that FAAN as the direct organization representing the federal government will be able to convince the traveling public on the safety and security of lives.

According to airport standard procedures, it is expected that there should be an escort or patrol van following all arriving and departing aircraft prior to take-off or entry into the ramp.

Among questions calling for answers include: whether there was any patrol van on ground monitoring the ANAP jet while it was holding on; whether the security officials overseeing the airport surroundings were actually on ground on the day in question.

It is on record that many key players had in the past and even presently raised and still raising the alarm about the porousity of the Lagos airport with many questionable characters having free access to restricted parts of the airport.

Besides the latest incident, there are indications that the robbery of aircraft have now become a recurrent decimal at the airport, a situation which has also become a cause for concern amongst aircraft owners.

This is therefore not the time for FAAN and the relevant authorities to continue to feign ignorance or look the other way in view of the latest incident.

There is however no better time than now for FAAN to review the security apparatus at the Lagos airport to at least safeguard the little image remaining for the country’s aviation sector particularly in the area of safety and security at its airports.

In all honesty, the airport as it is presently, is very porous and something urgent needed to be done to avoid any calamity.

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