The federal government says the search conducted on the plane of Atiku Abubakar when it landed at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja on Sunday was a procedural exercise by government agents at the airports.
Atiku, the presidential aspirant of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), had earlier in the day accused the government of harassing him and other members of his staff minutes after arriving from Dubai where he had gone to strategize ahead of the 2019 election.
He said the search was aimed at intimidating him and his staff. He said that he remained committed to building a Nigeria where no citizen is intimidated by agents of state who are paid to protect them.
However in statement sign by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said the claim by Atiku of being harassed was a mischievous attempt to grab the headlines.
He said contrary to the claims that Atiku was being targeted, Sirika said all incoming passengers on international flights go through customs, Immigration, health and security screening.
“Where the aircraft is using the private, charter wing, as the PDP Candidate did, such arrivals are met by a team of the Immìgration, customs and other security agencies. They go to the arriving aircraft as a team. The airport authorities confirm that this is a routine process, applying to all international arrivals, including the minister unless the passenger is the President of Nigeria. The President, the Vice President and passengers aboard planes on the Presidential air fleet use the Presidential wing of the airport.”
“It is also important to state that even in the Presidential Wing of the airport the President of Nigeria uses, there is the presence of Immìgration and other security officials who must stamp his or her passport on arrival.”
The Minister said by standard procedure, all aircraft on international arrivals must first of all park at the international wing of the aircraft. And could only move to the domestic terminal upon the completion of the arrival processes.
“While it is true that the Task Force on Currency at the airport did the routine action of checking the former Vice President’s travel bag, he was accorded full respect as a senior citizen.
“These checks are mandatory, conventional, internationally applied and routine. No one is excused from them under our laws. These checks are carried out on all international arrivals and President Buhari does not get involved in them,” he said.