Following calls by stakeholders, on concerned authorities in the aviation industry in Nigeria to carry out investigation, after a video of an helicopter landed on Sagamu-Ore-Benin- Expressway and picked a passenger from a traffic gridlock on the highway went viral, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has began investigation into issue.
In a statement made available yesterday to africanbusinesstravel.com.ng through its spokesperson, Sam Adurogboye, NCAA said the flight was an unscheduled diversion to pick up someone on the highway; which it said is being investigated.
“Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is fully aware of the viral video of the Helicopter that landed on the highway.
“Initial reports indicated that the Helicopter is owned by Tropical Arctic Logistics Ltd. With registration number 5N – BVQ and aircraft type AW139.
“The Pilot was compelled to land between Benin and Ore in an unscheduled diversion to pick up someone.
“NCAA has commenced full scale investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the unscheduled diversion,” NCAA said.
It added, “As soon as the investigation is concluded, the outcome will be made public”.
It would be recalled that shortly after a video of the chopper landing of on the highway went viral on net, some social media reported that it was there to pick Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibajo while others claimed that it was there to pick a luxury entrepreneur, Mr. Julian Osula. While the report claimed the landing was for picking of the Vice President who is in the United States of America on an official visit could not hold, the businessman, Osula also linked with the flight wasted no time to debunk the link.
With this, and high level of insecurity experience across the country, stakeholders in the aviation sector, in a Whatsapp group chat therefore called on concerned agencies to clear the palpable apprehension among the public on while the aircraft had to land on the highway when no emergency had been declared.
A member of the nation’s aviation think tank and foremost pressure group, Aviation Round Table (ART) and Chief Executive Officer, Centurion Security, Group Captain John Ojikutu (Retired) in the Whatsapp chat, wrote of the landing: “This incident happened on a busy express road in the country, supposedly to have ‘lifted or rescued a Very Important Personality (VIP) out a danger area. There had been speculations on who the VIP was: Some have said it was the Vice President who is faraway in New York; while others said it was one billionaire who also has denied the media report. But who is or was he? It appears to me that nobody is looking at the security implications of this as dangerous trend in the midst of the insecurity in the country. Not even the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), have come out to tell us that the aircraft and the flight to go land on Ore road was dully cleared. The registration number of the aircraft was not captured by any security agencies; this is a very dangerous trend that needs immediate investigation by responsible authorities before it gets copied by our homegrown terrorists.
Similarly, another stakeholder, a former President of Nigerian Association of Cabin Crew, Olumide Ohunayo added: “From the video, that portion of the expressway to and from was cleared for the helicopter to land and take off… I saw mobile policemen trying to cordon the area too… Well obstructing another mode of transport… Was it an emergency???”
But some contributors who are resident in the country or probably did not understand the security angle to the discussion were quick to challenge the thought on why landing of a chopper to pick passengers on the highway should be an issue when the passenger involved could afford the cost and when it is a common sight in other countries
“ I’m wondering what is actually lawless about a person having an emergency and having a helicopter come to the rescue? Safety precautions were taken, the area cleared, the pilot must have been aware of the risks of landing on the spot? The crowd indicated that it was a woman, cee can guess…If any of us felt unsafe in a somewhat dangerous area and felt the need to be removed and can afford it, what will we do?” wrote a commentator.
Another commentator who also spoke in the same vein, added, “Anyone who is convinced that the helicopter flouted any law by landing to pick somebody on the road should school us on the laws flouted. If the person involves NCAA and NAMA, the person should also mention the regulation that was poo-pooed by that act. For me, anything that has to do with the road should be consigned to FRSC. Dragging aviation agencies into it is to create avenue and platform to argue and pontificate on the issue on aviation related social media. It is confirmed that such actions happen in other climes and recently one aircraft landed on the road in Uganda when it ran short of fuel. After grueling two hours traffic gridlock, anyone that can afford it can negotiate to be taken away by a chopper. Perhaps the luxury and power of doing that cannot be taken in by some Nigerians/”.
Ojikutu, who however, explained that concerns on the landing of the chopper on
the highway is more on security said: “
“I have no problem with anyone being airlifted from anywhere, but we are in an
environment now where even drones are cleared and restricted to areas; am saying what aircraft was it? Any registration number? There is a similar report that an aircraft identified by some persons as NAF aircraft was dropping arms to some other persons in a bush in Enugu State. NAF has denied and nobody still is investigating this. Are all these normal? I think we would be giving rooms for copycats among the homegrown terrorists”.He added, “These are part of the information and the identifications of the aircraft needed anywhere for any aircraft movement, before we start having another crises in our airspace. On this and any platforms, I talk mainly on safety and security and not on what. The alert and coordination for aeronautical emergency management and services, is NAMA and that explained my initial call on NAMA and NCAA. Even then, any movement of any aircraft from any point of registration to another point registered or not needs the clearance from the Air Traffic Controller (ATS) under whose jurisdiction the flight is going to be conducted not police and not FRSC”.
In his response, while appreciating the issue of security and safety raised by Group Ojikutu, a veteran aviation journalist, Tunji Oketunbi however wrote that it was only NAMA that could say if the flight was given clearance for the operation. He therefore wished aviation journalists could follow up the story to educate themselves and the general public on it.
“I think it is only NAMA that can say if the chopper got a clearance or not. Again, what are the requirements for emergency operations or evacuations? This happens all over the world.
Choppers are used to airlift road accidents victims and it may need to land on the road. But what are our local regulations and how are we sure they were not complied with?
This is a storyline that our reporters can pursue and get the public and themselves more educated.
“The security concerns raised by Group Captain are very valid. Can’t somebody be kidnapped using helicopter and get away with it? The public wants to be assured they are safe. Either aviation or security organisations need to issue a statement on this”.
