News
FAAN buys multimillion naira machine to replace Customs checkpoint, touting
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
War against touting, extortion, and unnecessary delay of passengers at Nigerian airports through multiple human checks, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has commenced the procurement of machines to replace human checks of luggage, particularly at customs checkpoints.
FAAN made this known over the weekend, during a tour of the airport, where correspondents were shown the various newly installed machines.
The Director of Aviation Security at FAAN, Igbafe Afegbai, said the customs table where they physically check travellers’ barges will be dismantled in a week’s time.
Both industry stakeholders and travellers have, at different times, complained of the customs checking point/table within the Murtala International Airport Terminal. While stakeholders criticised the customs activities within the terminal, travellers also described it as an avenue for extortion.
Recently, Customs officers and the FAAN security chief, alongside other top officers at the authority, clashed with Customs officers at the airport over duty overlap.
This development forced the aviation workers to threaten a nationwide strike, an action scheduled for March 31, 2025.
The complaints and feedback from passengers may have forced FAAN to deploy the machines that are being installed at screening points at the Lagos International Airport to totally eliminate the manual search.
The machines, which include six pieces of Orion 927DX, a full-body scanner, and an itemiser bought by FAAN, have the capacity to exhibit images in the Classic 4-colour and the new proprietary Spectrum 4-colour options, providing a clear image, allowing improved security by quick and accurate identification of threats, and increasing throughput.
Afegbai stated that the machines are also designed to detect a wide range of explosives and narcotics in real-time during the scanning process by marking a potential threat on the X-ray image.
While speaking with journalists, Afegbai stressed that by the time FAAN finishes installing all the screening machines and the monitors, each security agent will have their own monitors, and the tables for physical human checks will be quashed.
“The tables you see will be a thing of history; you will not see any table here. There will be no physical contact because what we are also doing is that when we fix those monitors and the machines dictate unaccepted objects, the concerned officials will take the passenger and his or her luggage to designated areas for physical checks.
“The designated areas will also have CCTV cameras. This is to ensure the passengers are not being exploited. When the machines dictate something, the aviation securities call the relevant agencies, such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Customs, and quarantine, amongst others, to follow up.”
He further explained that FAAN will be extending the machines to include six different monitors for the six agencies present at the airport, for their officials to monitor the bags through the screens.
He added, “Customs will have their screen. The quarantine will have their screen, and others will also have theirs. So, everybody will sit down while luggage goes through the machines.”
He further explained, “Before we bought the new machines, our machines were not detecting some drugs, but with the new machines, we will start to train some of the security agencies, like the NDLEA, the DSS, the immigration, and the quarantine
Also corroborating the FAAN security chief, head of department, ICT at the airport, Chima Oge, said the new Orion 927DX machine has features that help with the identification of organic materials accurately and quickly, either in range mode, which highlights the areas based on the range selected by the operator, and/or in interactive mode, which provides the operator the option to display the areas based on the value of the pixel.
He also revealed that the machine could detect undeclared funds, drugs and other illicit materials.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Enugu Governor Peter Mbah has expressed deep grief over the passing away of former Super Eagles skipper and coach, Christian Chukwu, describing him as a football icon, titan, and phenomenon.
Reacting to the development on Saturday Mbah said: “I received with a deep sense of loss the passing away of Chairman Christian Chukwu. It is a personal loss to us as Ndi Enugu, his home state, and indeed to Nigeria as a nation and Africa as a continent.
“Christian Chukwu was a national icon, a football titan, field marshal, and phenomenon. His exploits as a footballer united the country across ethnic divides and creed.
He was patriotism personified, serving the nation and Africa unreservedly both as a player and coach of the highly successful Rangers International Football Club of Enugu and Super Eagles of Nigeria, which he captained to victory as Green Eagles at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON. He also coached the Harambee Stars, Kenya’s senior male national team, among others.
“Chairman, as he was fondly called, gave his all not only to the nation but to the rest of Africa. He wrote his name in gold in the annals of the history of Nigerian and African football.
Our dear legend has gone the way of all mortals, but the fond memories and the pride he gave Ndi Igbo and Nigeria as a whole will be cherished forever.
“My heart goes out to his family, Ndi Enugu, the Nigerian sports community and the entire nation over this irreplaceable loss. May the good Lord grant his soul eternal repose.”
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
No fewer than seven people lost their lives on Saturday following the detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
The deadly incident occurred along the Maiduguri-Damboa Road, a notorious route that cuts through the Sambisa Forest—an area long plagued by insurgent activities.
The victims were part of a convoy of vehicles being escorted by the military from Damboa to Maiduguri.
According to eyewitness accounts and local sources, the explosion struck as the convoy—organized to provide safe passage through the volatile region—was underway. Several other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Maiduguri for urgent treatment.
The Maiduguri-Damboa Road serves as a vital link between the state capital and several local government areas in southern Borno, including Chibok and Gwoza.
For years, the route remained closed to civilian traffic due to persistent terrorist threats. However, under the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum, the road was reopened, with military escorts deployed to accompany travelers twice weekly after clearing the area for explosives.
Saturday’s attack raises fresh concerns about the safety of the corridor, despite consistent military presence. The blast also comes just days after Governor Zulum publicly raised alarm over renewed Boko Haram activity in the state, highlighting the persistent threat the group poses to peace and development in the region.
Authorities are yet to release an official statement on the incident, while investigations and security operations in the area continue.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has initiated a search following the theft of a black Toyota Hilux vehicle belonging to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nuhu Ribadu, which was stolen during Friday’s Juma’at prayers in Abuja.
It was gathered that the vehicle was parked around 1:05pm opposite the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) complex in Area 10, while the official attended prayers at a nearby mosque.
Security source, Zagazola Makama, disclosed the incident via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, revealing that the ONSA official returned from the mosque only to find the vehicle missing.
According to him, a sources said the theft was immediately reported to the Garki Police Division at approximately 2:00 p.m., leading to a swift response by law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command promptly activated a stop-and-search operation at various checkpoints and across all entry and exit points in the capital city.
Police authorities confirmed that investigations are ongoing and all efforts are being made to apprehend the culprits and recover the vehicle.
The Command said it had intensified efforts to track down the fleeing suspects and recover the stolen Hilux.
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