A passenger who left his laptop inside an airline’s airside vehicle but wrongly alleged that the device got lost at a screening point in one of the terminals at Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos has commended management of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for installing effective Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras
around the airport.
Writing a retraction titled: What CCTV footage revealed about my missing laptop, to an earlier post on his Facebook page, where he alleged that his laptop got missing at FAAN security screening point in the terminal, the passenger who apologised for his misleading post, extolled the airport authority for painstakingly undertook the investigation that revealed the truth about where he actually left the device.
The passenger had Tuesday March 6, 2018 through a post on his Facebook wall, misinformed the public on the loss of his device in the airport. He had alleged that he left the laptop at FAAN – AVSec screening point while he was been profiled to board a Lagos –Abuja 7:50am flight operated by a popular domestic airline.
The passenger who claimed that he was invited by the directorate of aviation security at FAAN after the misleading information he posted on social media had gone viral, said he had no option than to recount his allegations and commend FAAN on how it has deploy security equipment to monitor every activity in and around the Lagos airport.
According to him: “I was invited today Monday March 12, 2018 by Aviation Security Department of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to the office of the Airport Chief of Security situated at the International Wing of the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos over my missing laptop.
“You would recall that I made a post yesterday on Facebook over the disappearance of my laptop on Tuesday March 6, 2018 during my trip from Lagos to Abuja scheduled for 7:50AM.
“The CCTV footage which captured my entry into the airport, screening and search for the laptop was played in my presence and it revealed that the laptop did not disappear at the screening machine as I earlier alleged (thought). The footage showed that I left the screening point, holding the laptop in one of my hands while my pilot
suitcase was in my other hand,” he said..
He continued, “I entered the airline airside passengers’ bus with the laptop but ostensibly left it behind in the vehicle and boarded the aircraft. From the CCTV footage, I did not sit down at any time in the waiting room.
“My next port of call away from the CCTV footage was the bus which conveyed me to the aircraft. There were just two passengers that were carried in that bus to the aircraft at the material time: a co-passenger and myself.
“My co-passenger did not and could not have taken the laptop. We entered the aircraft together and he even looked after my suitcase upon stepping into the aircraft when I realised that my laptop was not with me and I had to go back to the screening machine.
“The other persons who were inside the bus were the airline bus driver and another male staff who sat very close to me and was discussing with my co-passenger and l. “
The passenger who has confirmed that the device was left in the airline’s bus asked, “What happened to the laptop which I apparently left behind inside the airline’s bus? I hope the ongoing investigation will unravel this. My suspicion is strong but the conclusion is for the investigators to make”.
Accepting that FAAN staff did a thorough investigation into his issue, the passenger said,”I must commend officials of FAAN, SERVICOM and AVSEC for the manner in which they have treated this matter so far. I was surprised by the number of officials drawn from different departments who came to watch the CCTV as part of the investigation.
“I was informed that my post on Facebook yesterday went viral and the officials had to work on Sunday, yesterday, to treat my matter. I commend them for their swift response and understanding. I never satat the waiting room, that explains why my mind was settled on the screening machine.
“Prior to watching the CCTV today, I never thought of the bus which conveyed me to the aircraft. The footage even showed when I came back to search for the laptop. Just as I indicated earlier, the footage showed that everything happened within 10 minutes.
“From the foregoing, FAAN security officers are not responsible for the disappearance of the laptop. I never accused them of stealing it in my earlier post. I hope this update has given some clarification to the matter,. “I have this to say to the airline, and I hope it gets to them,” the passenger stated.
Meanwhile, speaking earlier on the on-going installation of the CCTV cameras at the airsides of the Lao-s and Abuja airports general manager, corporate communication at FAAN, Mrs HenriettaYakubu had said the first phase of the project would further improve security at the airports, adding that FAAN would continue to improve on safety and
security of humans and equipment at all airports across the country.
She explained that after the completion of the installation of the equipment at Lagos and Abuja in the first phase, FAAN would move to Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu Airports for the second phase. She added that the agency had trained its security personnel on the handling of the equipment and assured that security would be better
enhanced at the nation’s airports with the usage of the equipment.
She said: “On the security, we have done a lot and the CCTV cameras are being installed at the airside. We have improved on illumination around our airsides. Right now, safety audits are on-going at the Port Harcourt Airport, Enugu and Kano Airports. The essence of this is to ensure that we are adhering to the standards set.
“At the moment, we have reached about 85 to 90 per cent completion stage. We are doing it in phases. In fact, we are mounting it at MMIA, Abuja in the first phase simultaneously and after this, we will go to Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu Airports.
“The project has been on for a long time even before the issue of alleged incursions into the airports. It is just that we are facilitating and we want to ensure that it is done within the shortest period. Our security staff have been trained on how to monitor the equipment and others within the airports.”
