TheNewsGuru

Tag: Lagos Airport

  • Thursday incident: What happened at Lagos Airport — FAAN

    Thursday incident: What happened at Lagos Airport — FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured Lagos airport passengers and staff of their safety and security, after a cable short circuit incident on Thursday.

    The Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah, said this in a statement she signed and made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos.

    Orah confirmed that there was an electrical short circuit at about 11.20 a.m., at the E-arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) old terminal but that it did not disrupt airport operations.

    According to her, contrary to the report on a national daily, there was a cable short circuit which resulted in an electrical spark from the ceiling of the said wing in the airport.

    She said the incident was swiftly resolved to ensure safety of passengers and airport staff.

    “In response to the incident and to prevent any further escalation, the power supply to that section of the airport was immediately switched off.

    “The Engineering department promptly mobilised to identify the source of the spark, and the suspected cable was swiftly cut to stop the power flow.

    “The incident lasted for only few minutes, and normalcy was restored. Airport operations were never disrupted,” she said.

    Orah said that the safety and security of passengers and staff remained a top priority for Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

    She added that the quick and effective response by the engineering department exemplified FAAN’s commitment to maintaining a safe and efficient airport environment.

  • NDLEA intercepts meth, skunk consignments concealed in tomato pastes, clothes at Lagos airport

    NDLEA intercepts meth, skunk consignments concealed in tomato pastes, clothes at Lagos airport

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) has said that its operatives intercepted consignments of skunk concealed in tins of tomato paste and methamphetamine hidden in used clothes meant for export to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

    According to NDLEA, the skunk in tomato paste consignment weighing 20 kilograms was intercepted on Friday at the SAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, while the meth shipment with a gross weight of 1.60kg was seized at a courier company in Lagos.

    Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy made this announcement via a statement signed and released by him on Sunday.

    The anti-narcotic agency also announced that another consignment of 556 grams of Canadian loud sent from Canada to one Tunji Adebayo in Ikorodu, Lagos, was also intercepted by its officers at the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, attached to courier firms.

    Similarly, NDLEA operatives on Monday raided the enclave of an alleged notorious drug lord in Akala, Mushin, Lagos, Abdul Rauf (aka ‘Na God), where 1,101kgs of Ghanaian loud were recovered and three suspects arrested while the wanted kingpin remains at large.

  • Keyamo suspends Nigeria air project, Airport concessioning deals

    Keyamo suspends Nigeria air project, Airport concessioning deals

    Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has suspended the Nigeria Air project, the concession project and other contracts stressing that he owes it to the government and Nigerians to give an honest assessment.

    The minister said the concession and national carrier will be suspended until he briefs the President.

    Keyamo also said that Muritala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, will be shut down from October 1, 2023, for total maintenance work at the airport.

    The minister therefore directed all international airlines to vacate the MMIA, from October 1, 2023.

    The Nigeria Air project and the concessioning of the Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Airports have courted so much controversies, hence experts in the aviation sector have called for their suspension, saying they have no benefit to the sector.

    On the relocation of foreign airlines to the new Lagos terminal, Keyamo noted that the reason the new Lagos terminal had been underutilized was because it could not take wide-bodied aircraft, saying the airlines would be using the terminal while government procures big busses to convey passengers.

    He also stated that the old international terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos would be shut down by October 1, 2023 for renovation even as he said all private hangars like Dominion Hangar, EAN Hangar and others would be relocated to pave way for expansion of the new terminal.

     

  • SEE health measures in place at Lagos airport to prevent new COVID-19 variant

    SEE health measures in place at Lagos airport to prevent new COVID-19 variant

    The Officer-in-Charge, Port Health Services (PHS), Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Dr Omede Ogu, said on Friday that proactive measures had been taken to prevent the new COVID-19 variant from slipping into the country.

    Ogu disclosed the measures available in an interview with NAN in Lagos.

    The United Kingdom detected its first case of the new COVID-19 variant, BA.2.86, on Aug. 18, and said the strain had also been identified in Israel, Denmark and the US.

    “There is currently one confirmed case in the UK in an individual with no recent travel history, which suggests a degree of community transmission within the UK,” the UK Health Security Agency had said.

    Nigeria and the UK record a high volume of travellers who shuttle between both countries on regular basis.

    Ogu said that information on the new variant had been placed on the Port Health Services Emergency Platform, while other agencies at the airport had also been informed about it.

    “Our mandate is health safety and security at the point of entry and it covers both routine and emergency situations.

    “The new variant has been placed on the Port Health services emergency platform and we have also informed sister agencies at the airport of its existence and they are also on the alert.

    “The ambulances are in good condition and our clinics round the tarmac are in the perfect shape to review any form of emergency, and facilities are inspected daily.

    “Personnel are trained on a weekly basis and this training is called Weekly Pretentious Infection Training. The purpose of this training is to keep our personnel abreast of steps to take when confronted with emergencies like this.

    “Our personnel are on ground and our structures are constantly reviewed, so we assure everyone that there is absolutely nothing to be worried about,” he said.

    Ogu said that the Port Health Service collaborates with Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) across the country involving stakeholders who deliberate on different strategies and containment mechanisms for emergencies.

    He said that there were cameras at the tarmac that capture the body temperature of passengers when they alight from the plane.

    “For every passenger arriving at the airport, the first point of call is the port health services, and they are screened to check for irregularities in body temperature.

    “The instruments are categorised into three: the hand held thermometer, a tripod tarmac scanner and the distant tarmac camera,” he said.

    According to him, the distant tarmac camera is the most effective because it captures everyone and all the health information, and port health officials see the result on the screen.

    “We intend to get more cameras in the nearest future for more effective coverage and optimal reporting,” he said.

    He urged Nigerians not to panic, noting that the new variant was still at the observatory level.

  • Just In: DSS Nabs Doyin Okupe at Lagos Airport

    Just In: DSS Nabs Doyin Okupe at Lagos Airport

    Doyin Okupe, the immediate past Director General of the Labour Party, has reportedly been nabbed by the Department of State Service, DSS, at Lagos’ Murtala Mohammed Airport.

    On Thursday, one of his lawyers, Tolu Babaleye, revealed this on Facebook.

    Okupe, he said, was on his way to London.

    He claimed that the DSS asked him to provide court processes in which he paid the fine option following his conviction for money laundering by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    The lawyer demanded that his client be released immediately.

    “The reason according to source is that he was asked to produce evidence that the Federal High Court Abuja has freed him from the case in which he was convicted and paid fine to the knowledge of the whole world and was allowed to go home.

    Details shortly…

  • ASUU Strike: Nigerian students protest, block Lagos Airport road

    ASUU Strike: Nigerian students protest, block Lagos Airport road

    The National Association of Nigerian Students, (NANS), barricaded the road leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Monday to protest the continued closure of public universities in Nigeria.

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on industrial action since February 14 2022 to press home their demands.

    TheNewsGuru.com had earlier reported that NANS threatened to block all international Airports across the country as a means to mount pressure on the government to reach an agreement with ASUU in order for campuses across the country to be re-opened.

    The students were seen singing, dancing and chanting aluta songs and causing gridlock on the road.

    The operatives of the Nigerian police had earlier tried to stop the students but they stuck to their guns and continued with the protest.

    Meanwhile, travellers and motorists plying the road linking the international airport were stranded as the students blocked all avenue  to link  the airport.

    NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Ojo Raymond Olumide, said students were tired of pleading with both parties to end the strike.

    “Nigerian students whose parents created the commonwealth cannot continue suffering at home alongside our lecturers while the few who gain from our sweat and blood have their kids abroad.

    “We call on students to rise and join us as we take our destinies into our hands. Our demands remain consistently clear and simple,” he said.

  • PDP leaders, members troop out to receive Atiku at Lagos airport

    PDP leaders, members troop out to receive Atiku at Lagos airport

    Chieftains and members of the PDP on Tuesday, trooped out en mass to receive the party’s Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport 2 in Lagos.

    The cheerful party leaders and members, who gathered as early as 7.00a.m., sang and danced round the presidential wing of the airport, waiting the arrival of Abubakar.

    Abubakar is yet to arrive as at the time of filing this report at 1.00p.m.

    Speaking to NAN, Mr Hakeem Amode, the Lagos PDP Publicity Secretary said that the party only mobilised party leaders and few members to welcome the former vice president to the state.

    Amode, also the Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee for Lagos PDP Governorship Candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, said that the party was delighted to have Abubakar in Lagos State.

    According to him, the party is not relenting efforts in grassroots mobilisation for all its candidates for various elective positions in the 2023 general elections.

    He assured that PDP would not fail the residents if given the mandate in the forthcoming elections.

    Abubakar is to attend the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) 2022 edition of Private Sector Economic Forum for the 2023 presidential election, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors’ Forum on the 2023 general elections and a PDP stakeholders’ meeting in Ikeja.

    Adediran, the Lagos PDP governorship candidate, party executives and other stalwart were among dignitaries waiting to receive Abubakar.

    There is security presences in and outside the premises of the Presidential wing of the airport.

  • NDLEA intercepts N4.5b heroin in Cerelac baby food

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 22 blocks of heroin, with street value of over N4.5 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

    This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.

    Babafemi said the consignment, which were concealed in packs of Nestle Cerelac baby food, weighed 23.55 kilograms.

    He said the consignment came from Johannesburg, South Africa, on board South African Airways flight on Wednesday, June 29.

    This, he said, was a part of consolidated cargo that arrived the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) import shed of the Lagos airport.

    “After series of follow up operations that led to the arrest of two freight agents, the actual receiver of the drug consignment was Chike Eweni .

    “Eweni who distributes the substance for his South Africa based partner was arrested the following day, Thursday June 30, at a logistics warehouse in Ajao Estate, Ikeja.

    “The suspect who hails from Anaocha LGA, Anambra, claims, during preliminary interview that he is also into fish farming, ” he said.

    Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the airport, had on Monday June 27, arrested a former driver with a public transport company, BRT, Muyiwa Bolujoko, for ingesting 90 pellets of cocaine before the arrest of Eweni.

    He said Bolujoko was arrested at the screening point before boarding a Qatar Airways flight, enroute Doha to Sharjah, with his trip, expected to terminate in Dubai, UAE.

    He added that the 39-year-old, from Ijebu South LGA, Ogun, was placed under excretion observation after body scan result confirmed drug ingestion.

    “While in custody, the suspect excreted all the 90 pellets in four excretions.

    “He claimed he left his N60,000 per month job as BRT driver in February, and decided to work as drug courier, to raise funds to buy a shuttle bus popularly called ‘Korope’ in Lagos to continue his transport business, ” he said.

  • NDLEA uncovers N22b worth of imported Tramadol

    NDLEA uncovers N22b worth of imported Tramadol

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that ongoing investigation of a suspected drug baron, (name withheld) has led to the discovery of more than N22billion worth of tramadol.

    This is contained in a statement by NDLEA Director Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Babafemi said that the investigation led to how the suspect in October 2019 imported into Nigeria two containers, containing 1,284 cartons of Tramadol with market value of over N22billion.

    He said that the statement was to counter insinuations by some hirelings that NDLEA had no evidence to pin a crime on the suspect, widely believed to be the chair of a group of firms.

    According to him, after months of surveillance, the suspect was eventually arrested on board a flight to Abuja at the MM2 Terminal of the Lagos airport, Ikeja, on Wednesday April 13.

    “Investigations revealed that he is been a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg, all of which are illicit.

    “He (withheld) owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria.

    “The agency said in the course of investigating the N3billion Tramadol saga between the suspect and the Abba Kyari’s IRT team, its operatives have unearthed more evidences.

    According to Babafemi, the suspect has been importing large quantities of Tramadol far above the approved threshold allowed into Nigeria.

    “No doubt the suspect will soon have his day in court, ” he said.

  • Again, NDLEA seizes 1.9million tablets of Tramadol, Codeine at Lagos airport

    Again, NDLEA seizes 1.9million tablets of Tramadol, Codeine at Lagos airport

    Again, within 48hours operatives of the National Drug Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have seized over 1.9 million tablets of Tramadol and Codeine imported into the country from Pakistan and United Kingdom through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports this was contained in a statement issued by the Spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi on Wednesday stating that:

    “Of the total seizures, 40 cartons of Co-Codamol, a brand of paracetamol with Codeine, which is classified as Opioid, were seized from a freight agent, Eraikhueme Ehis.

    “The seizure made on Thursday March 10 translates to 349, 800 tablets weighing 336kg. The consignment came from London, UK as a consolidated cargo through the SAHCO Import Shed of the airport. The consolidated cargo was declared as personal effects but was discovered to contain some medicaments.

    “In the same vein, no less than 1, 584,000 tablets of Tramadol were recovered on Tuesday 15th March by NDLEA operatives in collaboration with Aviation Security (AVSEC) and Customs service personnel at the airport. The seizure includes 17 cartons of 250mg Tramadol branded as “Tamra” weighing 669.70kg and five cartons of 225mg Tramadol under the brand name “Royal” with a gross weight of 217.15kg.

    “The psychotropic substance, which was imported into the country from Pakistan was smuggled through the airport tarmac using one of the vehicles of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) and was intercepted at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Personnel Yard. Two suspects: Ofijeh John Mova, a SAHCO driver and Nyam Gazu Alex who is a security guard with the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) have so far been arrested in connection with the seizure.

    “The previous day, Monday 14th March, a total of 2,160 tablets of Co-codamol weighing 1.95kg and 240 tablets of Tramadol were also intercepted in a consolidated cargo from the UK at the SAHCO import shed of the airport. Follow up operations led to the arrest of the importer of the consignment, Omonijo Temidayo the following day Tuesday 15th March.

    Similarly, follow up operations have also led to the arrest of Hajiya Mariam Saliu in Edo state on Monday 14th March after investigations uncovered her as the brain behind attempt to export 1.55kg cannabis to Dubai through the Lagos airport on 5th March.

    Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives have arrested one of the kingpins behind the attempt to smuggle 11.93 kilograms of Cocaine to Accra, Ghana through the Seme land border, Lagos. The 50-year-old suspect, Oyewunmi Ademola Ahmed was arrested on Tuesday 15th March at Mile 2 area of Lagos after series of follow up operation following the arrest of a driver, Osagie Anthony with the 11.913kg cocaine at Gbaji, Seme-Badagry expressway on January 23.

    In Kwara, a drug dealer, Hope John, 30, was arrested on Saturday 19th March at Goodness area of Offa with different quantities of cannabis, methamphetamine, designer drug and cocaine.

    Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Kwara and Seme Border Commands of the Agency for their commitment, dedication to duty and maintaining cordial working relationship with other stakeholders in their areas of responsibility.