Why Failed Bomber, Mutallab Could Not Be Stopped In Lagos
December 30, 2009 16:54 (3 hours ago), 484 views

By Simon Ateba

On 13 December 2009, only days before Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who attempted to blow up a U.S. airliner with 289 people on board, passed undetected through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, with explosive devices, a massive power outage had hit the airport for several hours allowing hundreds of air travellers into planes unchecked. The power cut occurred the same day the two generators at the airport malfunctioned.

While the airport languished in total darkness, the radar system at Nigeria’s best airport failed for two hours forcing as many as 15 planes to hover around the airport with hundreds of passengers on board.

Among the affected aircraft was Ethiopian Airlines flight ET901 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The aircraft had 180 passengers on board and was forced to make an emergency landing without clearance as it was about to run out of fuel.

Several other flights, including Qatar Airways flight QR592, which had 190 passengers on board, also made emergency landings, while other flights diverted to other airports.

Virtually every month, there is a long power cut at the airport. Sometimes, it occurs during passengers’ checks, thereby forcing security operatives to allow every passenger with their luggage into the aircraft unchecked.

The situation is even compounded at the country’s gateway by the absence of modern equipment such as anti-bomb detector machines and the presence of sniffer dogs at the departure halls and other modern equipment.

P.M.NEWS investigations have also revealed that some privileged Nigerians are not always checked at the airport. Most times, they arrive a few minutes to departure and simply greet the security operatives and walk in unchallenged.

P.M.NEWS also reported last week that on local airlines, passengers are allowed to travel with tickets bearing names that are not theirs contrary to international safety regulation.

With all these lapses, any suicide bomber like Mutallab could have passed through the Lagos airport undetected.

The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren on Sunday exnorated Nigeria and rather blamed Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam, for allowing the 23-year old Nigerian to board the aircraft with explosive devices. Demuren said that our airports are safe and secure.

But without constant electricity supply, proper checks of passengers and the presence of proper equipment, Demuren’s claims that the country’s airports are safe and secure may not be correct.