The command spokesman, DSP Joseph Alabi, gave the assurance while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Saturday.
Alabi said: “I want to assure travelers and other airport users that police are on ground to guarantee their safety and security during this yuletide.
“Our men have been put on red alert.
“Some of them have been posted to strategic areas at the airport to prevent any unforeseen situation.
“Also, our patrol team is working round the clock to weed out miscreants who may want to capitalise on the season to perpetrate criminal activities.”
He also warned hoodlums to stay away from the airport during the period, saying that police would not hesitate to prosecute them when apprehended.
Alabi, however, advised travelers to go about their business with confidence, promising that police would guarantee security of people and property.
The command’s spokesman also confirmed that investigations had begun into the case of a burgled aircraft, which allegedly occurred recently at the airport.
According to him, the incident was reported to have occurred on a Vista Jet aircraft with Call Sign VJT 584, while taxiing at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
Alabi said the command was working with the Aviation Security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and other relevant security agencies to unravel how the incident occurred.
Original article can be found here ➤ https://theeagleonline.com.ng
Less than 24 hours after SaharaReporters broke the news of how airport bandits of attacked and burgled VistaJet aircraft that was taxiing to apron after landing, the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has set up an investigation team to unravel the cause of the incident.
FAAN said that it has set up a combined team of Aviation Security (AVSEC) Department, Airport Police Command and other relevant security agencies to immediately get to the root cause of the incident.
A statement by Henrietta Yakubu, the spokesman of the agency said that the investigative team would immediately commence an investigation into the incident, which took place while the aircraft, a Vistajet with the registration number 9H-VFA was taxiing to the hangar of Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN) Ltd.
Yakubu in a three-paragraph statement said that the authority set up the panel in order to investigate if the incident truly occurred and to prevent a recurrence of such incident in the future.
But, SaharaReporters can confirm that the incident actually occurred on the night of Tuesday, December 12, 2017, when the jet with the registration number 9H-VFA operated by EAN was taxiing to the apron from the runway.
The statement said “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has commenced investigations into the case of a burgled aircraft, alleged to have occurred on the night of December 12th, 2017.
“The incident was reported to have occurred on a VistaJet aircraft with Call Sign VJT 584 while taxiing on the night the said date.
“A combined team of Faan's Aviation Security Department, Airport Police Command and other relevant security agencies have swung into action to reveal the perpetrators of this act and to prevent future reoccurrence of such.”
It would be recalled that SaharaReporters had exclusively reported on Friday how a private jet owned by VistaJet was attacked on the runway of the airport.
Information gathered by SaharaReporters had revealed that the jet was taxiing on the 18Right of the runway before the incident.
A source close to EAN had confided in our correspondent that one of a crewmember of the jet discovered that the rear door of the aircraft was opened while taxing to the hangar of EAN.
After an investigation, it was discovered that a big black bag belonging to the air hostess, named Francesca Louis was missing from the jet.
The source told our correspondent that it was not the first time such an incident would be happening at the airport.
Earlier in the year, some bandits allegedly opened a small aircraft door from the rear that was taxiing on the runway and escaped with some belongings of some of the occupants.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://saharareporters.com
Fixed Base Operators of the private terminals at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and Aviation Security officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have thrown more light on the alleged burgle of baggage compartment of a private jet while taxiing on the runway.
The sources, who spoke to THISDAY, expressed doubt over the possibility of anybody stealing from a taxiing aircraft.
Earlier reports indicated that the aircraft was attacked on the runway 18R of the airport by unknown bandits when taxiing to the hangar of Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN) Ltd. The jet was said to be arriving from Istanbul between 2110 and 2130 hrs after landing in Lagos.
The pilot of the flight was Captain Emma Heering who reportedly discovered that the rear door of the aircraft was opened while taxiing to the hangar of EAN.
A senior official of Aviation Security of FAAN disclosed to THISDAY that when the pilot of the Vista Jet aircraft with call sign VJT 584 called the Control Tower over the alleged incident, security operatives inspected the aircraft and found out that the baggage compartment was not open.
Details later…
Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.thisdaylive.com
VistaJet 9H-VFA
The security apparatus at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos was on Tuesday once again called to question as a private jet owned by VistaJet was attacked on the runway of the airport.
Information gathered by SaharaReporters revealed that the jet with the registration number 9H-VFA operated by EAN on December 12, 2017 was attacked on the runway 18R of the airport by unknown bandits when taxiing to the hangar of Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN) Ltd. The jet was arriving from Istanbul between 2110-2130 hrs after landing in Lagos.
A source close to EAN confided in our correspondent that the pilot of the jet Captain Emma Heering discovered that the rear door of the aircraft was opened while taxiing to the hangar of EAN.
After an investigation, it was discovered that a big black bag belonging to the air hostess, Francesca Louis was missing from the jet.
The source told our correspondent that it was not the first time such an incident would be happening at the airport.
Earlier in the year, some bandits allegedly opened the door of a small aircraft from the rear that was taxiing on the runway and escaped with some belongings of some of the occupants.
The investigation further revealed that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) responsible for airport security has only one operational vehicle escorting aircraft that lands on the runway, but at times, there might not be any operational vehicle on the ground to monitor aircraft that is taxiing to the apron for arriving aircraft.
It was reported that this particular jet with call sign VT584 was not escorted by any operational vehicle as at the time of the incident due to lack of any operational vehicles at the airside of the airport, a situation, which made the criminal act to be perpetrated with ease on the said day.
An airline source speaking anonymously with SaharaReporters said: “What actually happened was that when the aircraft was taxiing to the hangar of EAN, the cabin crew discovered that the rear door was opened. So, when the jet taxied to the hangar, it was discovered that one big black bag belonging to their air hostesses was missing. An alarm was raised, but no one could trace the bandit who had forced the door open while taxiing.
“It is bad that this is happening in an airport, which was recently certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has scaling security and safety hurdle. The government should look at the incident and several others that have been happening in the airside because this is not the first time such a thing would be happening at the airport and several others across the country.”
Besides, a similar incident had occurred on Med-View Airline when a stowaway passenger scaled the fence of the airport to enter the wheel well of the Boeing 777 aircraft of the airline to London. The stowaway told security agencies that he had scaled the fence of the airport and spent days waiting to board the aircraft ostensibly with the aid of unscrupulous airport officials.
The stowaway could not, however, disembark from the plane in London and had to be brought back to Lagos before he was discovered by one of the security personnel at the airport.
Till date, FAAN could not explain how the stowaway successfully gained entrance into the aircraft.
Lagos Airport
It would be recalled that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was certified in September this year by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria (NCAA) after 38 years of opening the airport.
The safety and security certification awarded the airport by NCAA had however received some scepticisms from stakeholders and security experts in the sector.
Security analysts have repeatedly stated that the airport may not have met all the safety requirements to ensure its certification especially in the area of insurance cover and security.
Experts had said that for any airport to be certified, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) minimal standard, such an airport must have adequate maintenance and security programmes in place.
The security expert insisted that airport certification was not about the terminal building, but the facilities installed at such airport, including navigational aids provided by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
With the Tuesday incident, the certification of the airport by NCAA has further raised questions about its authenticity.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://saharareporters.com
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