An American aviation security expert, Mr Gary Pleus, on Thursday advised the Federal Government to intensify counter-terrorism measures across airports in the country.
Pleus, Transport Security Administration (TSA) Attaché, US Embassy, West Africa, gave the advice while speaking at the fourth quarterly Breakfast meeting of the Aviation Round Table (ART) in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Pleus spoke on the topic “Aviation Security In The Midst of Home Grown Terrorism.’’
Pleus said that terrorism had become a global problem and the airport environment remained one of the choice targets of terrorists.
He said the attacks at the Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey and the Brussels Airports in Belgium had necessitated the need to strengthen airport security.
According to him, the terrorists were devising new ways to beat security checks at the airport in order to carry out their nefarious activities.
Pleus said the terrorists had resorted to various tactics such as concealing weapons and improvised explosives devices to perpetrate these acts thus requiring due diligence by security operatives.
“Aviation is still a target; an attack on part of the system will have a rippling effect across the system.
“Counter-terrorism measures are needed to detect, deter and prevent an attack; deployment of effective counter measures is critical to mitigating,’’ he said.
Pleus said the US would continue to collaborate with Nigeria and other African countries to prevent acts of terrorism, especially at the airports.
Also speaking, Mr Ifeanyi Ogochukwu, a cyber security specialist, said Nigeria aviation authorities should brace up for the challenges posed by cyber criminals.
He said: “we need to be alert not only to the physical threat but also cyber threats.
“Nigeria does not have any agency that is in charge of any cyber security at the airport and there is urgent need for such an agency in light of global realities.’’
On his part, the Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Mukhtar Usman, said Nigeria was taking the challenges of aviation security seriously.
Usman, who was represented by Mr Olumide Oshineye, NCAA Head of Evaluation and Approval, said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), had specified basic security measures to be implemented by member states.
According to him, there are 82 standards in ICAO Annex 17 and Nigeria has addressed all the 82 standards in its National Civil Aviation Security Act.
Earlier in his welcome address, Mr Gbenga Olowo, President, ART, said without security, Nigeria’s aviation industry would not be able to achieve its potential.
Olowo said the recent stowaway incidence involving an Arik Air which took off from Lagos to Johannesburg, once again showed the porous nature of our airports.
He said there was the need for proper coordination and collaboration between the various security organisations such as the Police, Immigration, the Customs and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC). (NAN)