The Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos is the fifth busiest airport in Africa while the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja is the seventh busiest in the continent.
Over eight million passengers pass through the two airports annually according to the statistics released by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, in 2012, but ironically, despite these high passenger traffic, travellers passing through the airports have in recent time have couse to complain of pilfering, torn or missing luggage, not just at the two airports, but in all the airports in the country.
More than 30 cases of missing and pilfering of checked in or hand luggage occur daily at the airports, which is affecting the image of the country in international community.
When this dastardly incident occurs, accusing fingers are in most cases pointed at two groups of workers at the airport; Aviation Security, AVSEC, a department under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and personnel of the ground handling companies for the airlines.
For instance, one Mrs. Chinyere Nwankwo recently arrive Nigeria from Dubai aboard Emirates Airline. She was checked in with three luggages and after combing the baggage reclaims area of MMIA for hours, she was amazed that she could only recover two of her three checked in luggage. The missing luggage, according to her was 22kg, which she said was full of her clothing and other personal effects.
She rained abuses on the staffers of the airline and even the airside workers because of the missing luggage and even vowed to pursue her case with the last penny in her account. Earlier in the month, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, complained of pilfering and missing luggage on board Air Maroc Airlines boarded in Lagos on March 28, 2013.
According to the National President of the union, Mr. Garba Mohammed had told journalists that his checked in luggage was pilfered by the ground handlers with the sum of N150,000 stolen from it while the luggage of the National Secretary, Mr. Liman Shuaib is still missing days after take off from Lagos.
So far, it has been difficult to know the exact point a checked in luggage is tampered with as each authorities usual seek to defend the integrity of their countries, but on October 20, 2012 at MMIA, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arrested an official of FAAN, Mr. Akinyele Adetula, for trying to launder $1.4 million (N218m) for one Mr. Ifeanyi Urama, a bureau de change operator who also doubles as clearing and forwarding agent.
According to the Head of Operations, EFCC, Mr. Iliyasu Kwarbai, the suspect was able to pass through Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, security checks because he was wearing his identity card and therefore did not draw any suspicion.
Besides, last September, AVSEC officials arrested a passenger for attempting to steal $6, 000 belonging to a co-passenger onboard. The passenger had boarded Arik Air flight W3 071 from Lagos to Accra, Ghana before attempting to steal the money of another passenger.
The passenger was caught by a cabin crew when he attempted to open the bag in the overhead baggage hold and subsequently raised an alarm, which led to the arrest of the passenger by FAAN security officials. More so, about two weeks ago, AVSEC officials arrested two passengers aboard Med-View Airlines when they attempted to steal N1.5 million belonging to another passenger onboard.
The arrested passengers were on their way to Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, NAA, Abuja before they were arrested by AVSEC. An online statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati had stated that the money was kept inside the compartment of the aircraft as hand luggage.
He explained that the AVSEC personnel got wind of the incident when one of the cabin crew of Med-View Airlines engaged in a hot argument with two passengers over missing money inside the aircraft.
Speaking on the issue, the Head, Communications, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCo, Plc, Mr. Sanya Onayoade while agreeing that some luggage are tampered with at the airports, exonerated the staffers of the ground handling company from the act.
He explained further that in the last 12 months, NAHCo management had sacked no fewer than 18 persons for pilferage and other related offences, stressing that the staff now know that they must report any inducement from any security agent or cargo agent to undermine revenue accruing to the company or to the government.
He said, “Sometimes, cargoes are detained on the tarmac, and you see all kinds of people, those not wearing the prescribed ODC (On Duty Card) flocking around those shipments. We have put in place so many measures for checking theft and pilferage, some of which are the coverage of the warehouse and surroundings with CCTV, introduction of whistle-blowing system, where we introduced about five phone numbers and an email address where people can reach out and report anybody found doing anything unethical. “Go to any of our stations, you will see our whistle-blowing bill boards conspicuously displaying the phone numbers and email to reach.
We have also increased the number of security men in and around the warehouse. Our relationship with other security agencies is cordial and mutual. But we in NAHCo approach issues from the larger overall interests of the public. We are publicly quoted, and have strong corporate governance and ethical standard that every staff must sustain.”
Security experts said there are various security lapses at the airports most especially at the airside, which give personnel at that point of the airport access to pilfer luggage of either departing or arriving passengers.
The Chief Executive Officer, Eagle Eye Security, Mr. Adebayo Adetona, said that to prevent luggage pilfering or theft at the airport, the government needed to install Closed Circuit Television, CCTV, cameras at strategic places within the airport. He explained that the ground handling personnel in collaboration with security agencies at the airports are in most cases found culpable in this dastardly act, but noted that the situation has improved recently with the regular surveillance carried out by the security agencies at the airports.
He said, “No single person can tamper with a checked in luggage alone without the collaboration of others, but in most cases, the staff of ground handlers for the airlines are involved in this act because they carry the luggage from the terminal to the belly of the aircraft or vice-versa. Between the time they do this, many things do happen.
“It is unfortunate that this is happening, but we have to note that it is a global phenomenon, which is not restricted to our country alone. Even, as sophisticated the United States of America is, it happens in their domain.
However, I want to say that the act has greatly reduced in recent time at our airports, but we can still do more.” Also, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said that the management has changed the security apparatus at all the airports most especially at MMIA since last quarter of 2012 following the discovering of compromise by some AVSEC staff. Presently, he noted 90 per cent of AVSEC were redeployed from MMIA to other airports in the country, assuring that the situation has greatly improved.
Apart from this, he explained that CCTV cameras have been installed in strategic locations at the airside of the airport with a control room within the terminal in a bid to monitor activities at that aspect of the airport and challenged those with concrete allegations against AVSEC personnel to come forward with them.
He added, “The luggage of passengers is not in our hands, but despite this, we still ensure that we monitor the transfer of their luggage either into the plane or to the baggage reclaim areas. Also, we have a cargo centre at the airport where goods left behind by passengers are kept. Most times, people forget these baggages and alleged that it was stolen. Very soon, we will begin to get rid of them if they don’t come for them.”
Nobody travels and forget their luggage no matter how tired they are, what a stupid comment!
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