New equipment has been deployed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos for the safety of flying public, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has said.
The FAAN Aviation Security Services Director, Group Captain Usman Sodiq, made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, on Saturday, in Abuja.
The installed equipment include screening machines, IED vapour detectors and hand-held scanners.
Sodiq, who stated that some of the areas in the airports were now automated, added that the Federal Executive Council approved the deployment of K9, which were the Canine dogs.
The director said that FAAN had concluded issue of arms to its personnel to cover areas that ordinarily would not be covered without protective equipment.
Sodiq said, “The deployment of the security equipment was based on the dynamic challenges at the various airports, as well as their respective threat assessments.
“Based on threat assessments, we looked at areas that require these equipment, for instance, they called from Makurdi today (Saturday) that they needed additional screening machines. So, we have to work towards that.
“It is based on demand and the availability of budget, because we present our budget demands and await results. But, we don’t relax, rather, we ensure that we are provided with most of these requirements.“
He gave the assurance that all international airports would be well covered security-wise very soon.
He stressed that a lot had been virtually covered on the new terminals constructed by the China Engineering Construction Corporation.
Sodiq, who said that the Federal Government had approved the provision of CCTV cameras in virtually all airports, added that the aviation security department was currently trying to see available gaps that required full coverage.
On the forthcoming security week, he said that further awareness would be created by making people conscious of security culture.
NAN reports that ACI-Africa Security Week would begin from October 25.
ACI-Africa is the International Association of African Airports serving as the voice of African airports to represent and advance the collective security and safety interests of African airports.
The director said that the ACI-Africa would make people become watchful and aware of threats around them, whether perceived or real.
“We want everyone to make it a daily thing. This is part of the elements of the security culture we are talking about,” he stated.
(NAN).
