Aviation Security (AVSEC) staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Wednesday apprehended a man, Mr. Alabibu Olushola, who was attempting to stow away in a taxing aircraft on the tarmac of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, just as an aged man died onboard Arik Air Owerri to Lagos flight.
The suspect was said to have hoped to board a Medview flight taxying to take off on its way to Maiduguri via Abuja.
Olushola was apprehended with the help of Medview crew that stopped the suspect on his stride before he was apprehended by AVSEC official.
Medview said in a statement the action of the crew led to the arrest and the return of the aircraft to the tarmac for security check.
The airline disclosed that the Maiduguri bound aircraft was taxing to the threshold for take-off when the pilot sited a man on the active runway and alerted the control tower on his observation and requested for aviation security personnel.
“While still taxiing, the pilot noticed that the same man has crossed to the threshold, and was moving towards the aircraft, and had to alert the control tower again for security.
“The man got entangled with the engine thrust as the pilot increased the speed of the engine before he was picked up by security agents.
“The pilot asked for permission to return to base, where security agencies including bomb disposal Squad conducted a thorough check on all passengers, luggage and the entire aircraft and appropriate clearance was given,” Medview explained in the statement.
According to the General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Yakubu Dati, the culprit was arrested as soon as he scaled the perimeter fence near the moving aircraft and after interrogation by the AVSEC staff; he was immediately handed over to the police for further interrogation.
“The Authority wishes to remind members of the public that access to restricted areas of the airport, including the tarmac and perimeter roads, is prohibited for unauthorized people, including airport staff, who have no business being there. This is more so in view of the present security situation in the country.
Dati also said FAAN would henceforth not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any person, including unauthorized airport staff, who was found loitering around restricted areas of all our airports.
In another development, Nigeria’s major operator, Arik Air announced on Wednesday that a middle-aged man aboard Arik Air’s Owerri-Lagos afternoon flight was confirmed dead by doctors on arrival at the Lagos Airport.
The airline said the passenger boarded the flight from Owerri in the company of a relative and while the aircraft was airborne the deceased started showing signs of uneasiness midway into the flight and later died.
The airline said the body of the man had been deposited in the mortuary by the police while investigation into the immediate cause of death had started.
It was not clear whether the deceased was sick and if he was being taken to the hospital in Lagos from Owerri before he died.
