Akure Airport security breach: Four bandits nabbed

• ·         FAAN to fortify aerodrome with perimeter fencing

The Nigerian military, in a joint operation with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC), has apprehended four persons suspected of committing criminal activities at Akure Airport. They have been handed over to the Police for further interrogation.

An air traffic controller who sighted the suspects from the air traffic control tower and who described them as ‘bandits’  said they pursued farmers from their farmland into the runway of Akure airport and alerted security personnel, AVSEC and the Nigeria Air Force, who combed the nearby forest, leading to the arrest of four of the bandits.

The Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, explained that a woman and some young men were observed running from their farm, behind the operational fence, towards the edge of the runway, shouting for help after noticing some men on motorcycles, apparently in an ambush by men of the state police, Amotekun.

They were said to have been eventually caught and taken away.

Kuku said, “Earlier, in response to a distress call that some suspected persons were seen behind the airport towards Eleyewo community, troops (AVEC officers, NAF and the Nigerian Army)were in pursuit, and one suspect was apprehended by joint security operatives. Suspect has been taken to NPF area command for further interrogation.”

“We have alerted the Commissioner of Police, the Brig. General of the Army Cantonment, the MAC, and their men are all collaborating with AVSEC. The joint operation was successful as four suspects were apprehended, and they have been handed over to the police”.

“This is the reason the president and the minister have accelerated the establishment of operational and perimeter fences at the airports”.

The recent incident at Akure Airport (Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu Airport) has once again pushed the lack of standard perimeter fencing to the forefront of national aviation discourse.

While security agencies have successfully repelled immediate threats, the airport’s physical vulnerability remains a soft underbelly for regional security.

The ongoing insecurity in the Ilu-Abo/Akure North axis (less than 5km from the runway) has highlighted several key reasons why a standard, double-layered perimeter fence is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

FAAN has categorised Akure as a priority under its “Airport Infrastructure Rehabilitation” plan, with the goal of having all major ongoing projects, including perimeter fortification, completed by 2027.

In the absence of a complete wall, FAAN has deployed AVSEC Armed Units and Agro Rangers to conduct 24/7 motorised patrols. They have also increased the use of observation posts and night-vision surveillance technology.

Wole Shadare