Danger: Man crawls out of AZMAN plane engine

• Pandemonium, Police arrests intruder

Captain took preemptive action-Airline

Aviation rot seems to have found expression in lax security collapse as young man who had obviously hidden inside one of the engines of Azman Port-Harcourt bound plane was seen crawling out, leading to pandemonium by already checked in passengers at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Passengers inside the aircraft could be heard in a video sent by one of the passengers asking the airline crew to quickly open the doors of the plane for them to get out.

Pandemonium reigned as they were heard screaming and talking about his mental state, with some of them arguing that he was feigning madness.

They alleged he dropped a bag inside the engine of the aircraft as they feared he was carrying dangerous substance and might have dropped it inside the engine.

After crawling out of the engine, the man who looked like mentally disturbed climbed on top of the aircraft massive engine in what clearly is security threat, thereby underscoring the poor security cover at many of the country’s airports.

Some of the passengers were heard lamenting that there were no security personnel at the area more than 20 minutes the incident lasted.

It was not clear as at the time of filing the report, how the man gained entrance into a sensitive area of the Lagos airport at a time Nigeria is facing huge security threats from Boko Haram and criminals.

Not long ago, officials of Delta Airlines raised concern over Nigeria’s porous security at airports after discovering the loitering of people not permitted to go near the area.

An official of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said the intruder had been arrested undergoing interrogation at the Lagos airport Police Command.

Reacting to the incident, the management of Azman Air in a statement yesterday painted a graphic picture of the incident, saying, ‘One of our aircraft with registration Number 5N-HAI was holding for take- off at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos’.

The management of the carrier explained that when the Pilot in Command sighted an unidentified person on the tarmac walking towards the aircraft, he radioed the tower to intimate them of his observation immediately.

‘The captain further took a pre-emptive effort to shut down the engine as the same person was noticed wandering around the aircraft and later, he was seen climbing the part of the aircraft in an attempt to gain access to the cabin’.

It noted that the airport securities approached the individual, arrested him and he has since been remanded for further interrogation.

The airplane according to the airline, a B737-500 aircraft was taxied back to the gate where all passengers were disembarked. The aircraft and luggage were thoroughly scrutinised and same was certified to fly.