How Lagos humidity triggers sign in aircraft cockpit, by pilots, AVSEC

 A team of security agencies have brainstormed over the incessant allegations of aircraft compartment opening and arrived at a conclusion that the high humidity currently experienced in Lagos and particularly at the Lagos airport have triggered signs in the cockpit of opening of luggage compartments of airplanes.

Head, Murtala Muhammed Airport International Airport Security, Mr. Oni Adedamola said, “I can authoritatively inform you that it is not correct. I want to speak because I was opportuned to be chairman of one of the investigative panel that investigated the first alleged poaching and what we discovered are technical, political and even social as it may be”.

Adedamola was particularly speaking about alleged poaching of Air Peace aircraft, World African Airlines (AWA) and a private jet carrying two top Nigerian musical artists, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun aka “Wizkid” and Tiwa Savage from Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom while taxiing on Murtala Muhammed airport’s runway 18L.jet

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has consistently maintained that with security measures put in place at the major airports makes it impossible for a taxiing airplane to be burgled, stressing that the Close Circuit cameras at the airports did not show aircraft that are being robbed on the runway.

The Air Peace incident early this year led to war of words between the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the airline.  The aviation regulatory body had, in a statement by its spokesman, Sam Adurogboye, described the airline’s allegation as ‘unfounded’.

But Air Peace fired back, stating that the NCAA’s position lacks basis. The airline disclosed that the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) of Flight No. APK 7138 with Aircraft No. 5NBUJ alerted the Lagos control tower that the aircraft’s cargo compartment had been opened by thieves. According to the pilot, he noticed that the cargo compartment light came up for 15 seconds and went off.

Adedamola stated that from the investigation, it was discovered that Lagos airport has a special humidity and that by the time an aircraft is landing in Lagos, there are certain things, the humidity or the cloud or whatever will trigger off in the aircraft.

He explained that the Canadian pilot AWA made them to understand that when they are approaching Lagos for landing, the dashboard in the cockpit triggers off because of the atmosphere.

His words, “One of it, there is always an indication in the baggage compartment light would show not only that, the humidity will ignite some other indicators in front and if you do not know and you are not conversant with Lagos, you will think somebody is opening your compartment and that was what happened in the second incident when the pilot did not report the case until after 36 minutes”.

“This is a very long time for somebody to escape even if there is anything like that. But we discovered nothing of such. When you say bags are missing, we discovered also a particular bag is the one that is missing if at all that bag is missing and which they cannot and have never proven that such bag got missing”.

In the case of Air Peace, the security chief when it was communicated to the control tower, the other pilot behind the carrier beamed his light to see what was happening, noting that there was nothing of such.

 “Our patrol van who was behind came to the front which is not supposed to be for security reasons, came in-between for safety  to make sure he sees exactly what has happened there, alas, nothing. They insisted all the compartment of the aircraft must be searched, nothing incriminating not even a pin was missing inside the bags of all the passengers but they went to the social media”.

Explaining the two alleged incidents involving Air Peace and AWA, Chief security officer, MMIA Sadiku Mammam said the Air Peace incident after that was AWA. AWA left the ramp about 20 minutes past 6 pm taxing out and getting to the holding point almost 6.30 pm because we track it down from the CCTV system within few seconds.

“He made call to the tower that he observed from the dash board indicator that their baggage compartment was opened. He decided on his own to come down for safety and security to cross check, the aircraft was received and escorted back to the tarmac to D34 where it actually parked and we observed the baggage compartment opened.”

He explained that he talked at length with the pilot, and the first thing they did was to evacuate the passengers and the EOD’s were invited and they all turned up as quickly as possible.

He noted that after the interior of the airplane was sterilized, nothing was found, adding that the next thing they did was to go into baggage compartment by off-loading everything and still found nothing.

“What we did next was to ask each of the passengers that checked in their bags to cross match, nothing missing. The passengers were re-boarded and we escorted back the flight to take off. We have started a system that they can no longer be breached. We have equally put some security measures on ground which I will not tell you”.

Wole Shadare