The porosity of Nigeria’s airports came to the fore yesterday as a middle aged man gained access to the runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airports, Lagos putting to risk, a B737 aircraft belonging to Medview Airline with about a hundred passenger onboard.
A top official of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, who works at the airfield of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, said the incident occurred at about 1.51pm when a ‘mad man’ gained access to the security area of the airport through many of the porous ways from Shasha area.
Over the years, people living along Shasha, Ejigbo and Akowonjo areas of Lagos, building houses very close to the runway, with many other activities right inside the airport.
The source said the captain of the aircraft, on landing, saw a man who was walking across the airplane and was immediately jet blasted by the pilot on sight, suspecting that the man was a terrorist and posed great danger to the flight. The man suffered severe burns and was immediately rushed to the hospital.
Spokesman of the Federal Airports Authority, Yakubu Dati, said that the man was suspected to have embarked on a stowaway mission but was immediately apprehended by the Aviation Security staff.
However, sources confirmed to National Daily that the man escaped all security blocks and found his way to the runway at the exact time when the MedView plane was landing.