Suspected stowaway nabbed at Lagos airport 0

The domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja Lagos was yesterday thrown into panic as a man whose age was put at 25 was caught attempting to stowaway on a wheel well of indigenous carrier, Med-View Airlines.
News of the arrest of the man who was dictated by the pilot of the aircraft during his final inspection prior to taxing and taking off  raised serious concerns on security and safety at the apron sector of the airport, also known as Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2). “The stowaway had successfully hid himself in the tyre compartment of the aircraft which was ready for taxing from the private terminal otherwise known as MMA2 at the airport,” said a source present at the scene of the arrest.
“But the eagle eye of the pilot caught him when he was doing the last inspection round the plane before taxing to take off.”
The man’s age was estimated at about 25 years. Daily Sun learnt that after being caught, he was immediately handed over to the Lagos Airport Police command.
“During interrogation, he confessed to have been hibernating around the airport for two weeks trying to achieve his purpose,” another source told journalists.
“He confessed that he did what he did out of desperation thinking that the aircraft will assist him achieve his dream to leave Nigeria for a foreign country in search of greener pasture.
“When asked how he managed to find his way into the tyre compartment of the aircraft, he declared that he jumped through the fence that demarcated the VIP lounge from the tarmac where the plane was waiting for clearance for take off,” added the source who preferred to remain anonymous.
An officer from the airport police, who confirmed the story however declined to be names insisting he did not have the authority to speak. Officials of regulatory authorities at the airport were also not willing to speak on the subject.
It will be the fourth time in recent years that stowaway incidences have been recorded at Nigerian airports, the most pronounced being the 2013 successful stowaway of a teenage boy on an Arik Air flight from Benin City to Edo. The most tragic however were two other incidences on the same Arik Air where the stowaway attempts ended in the tragic death of the two men involved. The spate of the stowaway incidences have compelled stakeholders to demand stricter surveillance and security on the nation’s airports.