Insecurity: FG deploys IED vapour detectors, others at airports

The Federal Government has deployed improvised explosive device vapour detectors and additional screening machines and scanners at Nigeria’s major international airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria stated on Saturday.

FAAN’s Director, Aviation Security Services, Group Capt. Usman Sodiq, disclosed this in Abuja ahead of the Airport Council International-Africa Security Week that starts from Monday.

He said the deployment of strategic equipment at international airports was to improve security at the facilities, adding that insecurity would not be condoned at airports.

Sodiq said, “We just deployed new equipment at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Murtala Mohammed International Airport. “The equipment include screening machines, IED vapour detectors, hand-held scanners, while some areas in these airports are now automated.

“You must have heard about the approval by FEC (Federal Executive Council) for the deployment of K9, which are the Canine dogs.

“We are about concluding the issue of arms to our people to cover areas that ordinarily shouldn’t be covered without such kind of protective equipment.”

He explained that 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 that they need additional screening machines. So we have to work towards that.”

He said the Federal Government had approved the provision of CCTV cameras in virtually all airports and that the aviation security department was currently trying to see available gaps that required full coverage.

In a related department, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State on Saturday appealed to the Federal Government to declare state of emergency on national security in order to curtail security challenges in the state and across the country to ensure safety of lives and property.

He made the appeal in Katsina while declaring open the 2021 Third Quarterly General Meeting of the Conference of the State Legislators of Nigeria, is an umbrella body of the Speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly.

According to him, security agencies are doing their best to address insecurity across the country.

The governor said, “I wish to call on the Federal Government to declare emergency on the nation’s security in order to bring an end to the loss of lives and property across the state.”

The Chairman of the Speakers Forum who is also Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, called on state governors in the country who had not yet given assent to the bill on financial autonomy for state assemblies to do so.

In a related development, the National Association of Nigerian Students said its security summit was targeted at addressing the assault on schools, kidnapping and all forms of insurgency ravaging the country.

NANS President, Sunday Asefon, said critical stakeholders in the educational sector, governments, security agencies, media and the civil society were expected to ruminate on the security challenges and proffer way out.

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