State of security at Lagos international airport becoming a national embarrassment

Security breaches at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos are really not new. But with insiders beginning to threaten its safety and security, and daylight robbery now a new normal on the restricted airside, stakeholders have called for the overhauling of the security architecture at the airport.

Two incidences stuck out like sore thumbs at the airport in the last couple of days — a fracas between men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NSC) and security operatives of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and then, a bizarre burglary incident inside Arik Air Boeing 737 aircraft.

The two, though not directly connected, underscore the security threats facing the flagship aerodrome and challenges of putting up an effective resistance.

Apparently worried by the parallel pattern of things at the popular gateway, aviation stakeholders regretted attendant exposure to international embarrassment, especially in a year the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) would be auditing Nigeria’s safety records and standards.