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Zero Security At Nigeria’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport

SaharaReporters has learned that Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, one of the busiest in Africa, lags behind in security arrangements.

Our team of investigators discovered that security operatives are most present at the airport during the day, but disappear at night, leaving Nigeria’s busiest airport vulnerable. In several interviews with airline workers and other frequent users of the airport, they voiced their concern about lax security and the apparent nonchalance of the Federal Government when it comes to securing the airport.
 
“All the police, Air force, DSS [Department of State Security], and Civil Defense operatives whose presence is so noticeable during day are nowhere to be found when it’s night,” one of the employees at the airport told our correspondent. He added, “If you look around very well, you would see that all the usual security spots in the afternoon are empty at night. Even the area with police signboard has no single policeman watching over it.”
 
An official of one of the airlines blamed the absence of security operatives at night on the reduced number of flight arriving at night. He told our correspondent that many of the security operatives were more interested in extorting cash from passengers. He said that, since the number of passengers arriving at night was not as much as those landing in daytime, the security operatives often abandon their duty posts at night.
 
During several night visits to the airport, our correspondent sighted only aviation security personnel on duty. These aviation security operatives are not allowed to carry arms.

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