Land encroachment exposes Lagos airport security challenges

• Nobody can steal luggage on moving plane-Shin-Abba

There are indications that the Federal Government through the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Lagos State Government may have reached an agreement to recover lands belonging to the authority but which have been taken over by people without documentation.

The taken over of land belonging to the aviation agency has undermined security at the Lagos airport and one that has raised a lot of security and safety concern.

The encroachment on the land, which begins from the Shasha Area of the airport to Mafoluku Area, Ajao estate and Ikeja, is already giving FAAN’s management and the Federal Government a sleepless night.

Consequently, many of the developers whose houses are built very close to the runway and other critical safety areas risk demolition of their houses.

Regional Manager, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Terminal Manager, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Mrs. Victoria Shina-Aba disclosed that the government was working toward stopping the encroachment of airport land.

Her words, “Headquarter is in conjunction with Lagos state. It is really a big problem. Ajao Estate people are building towards the runway but FAAN is working in conjunction with Lagos state and I think very soon, something will be done about it. Very soon, many of these houses encroaching on the airport will be demolished”.

The airport manager also disclosed efforts the agency was taking to tackle security at airfield of the Lagos, just as she denied that hoodlums attack aircraft in motion by opening their cargo hold to steal luggage.

Describing such action as impossible considering the danger such hoodlums would be exposing themselves to from the hot air that the engines of a moving aircraft generates and the height of the cargo hole however stated that her agency was improving on security on the airside.

To nip in the bud security threat at the aerodrome, Shin-Aba explained that FAAN had started clearing bushes around the airside.

“We have bushes around and make sure that were cleared. Everywhere was cleared. We now started this patrol vehicles following up, escorting aircraft. First and foremost, let’s talk about the 18R runway, most of the time it is always the one having issues. What we did was to position the patrol van permanently near the A3. That is where most of the aircraft turn into the taxi-way and that is where the possibility of them holding incase there is another aircraft taxiing”.

“The patrol van with security agencies, not only FAAN police help us in what is joint patrol. They are there permanently. We then have another one escorting that aircraft to park. We do these things day and night. We see them escorting the aircraft. As soon as they land, they follow them. They need to give a distance so that lives are not endangered. We follow them at a reasonable allowable distance until they park”, she added.

She further disclosed that the airport authority had procured dash board cameras on their patrol vehicles in the interim, stressing that they had requested for more of such vehicles.

“All the patrol vans will be equipped with dashboard cameras as a palliative. For the permanent one, the Managing Director of FAAN is working seriously for this thermal and infrared camera. We believe that these things did not happen and it is not happening but we need to prove it and the only way we can prove it is that we will have a CCTV to show for it”.

“We are continuously clearing the bush around. We have few issues with our perimeter fencing . The area the airport covers is very large. We have constant encroachment by the surrounding communities. The airport is within the city and we are battling with the communities around the place, but we try to make sure we do something”.