Ibom Air incident ‘wake up call’ for aviation security — Consultant

A security consultant, Onyekachi Adekoya, has called for urgent reforms in aviation security following the recent Ibom Air incident involving a passenger and cabin crew members.

Adekoya made this call on Wednesday, while answering questions on ‘The Morning Brief’, a programme on Channels Television.

He emphasised the need to prepare for redundancy in security planning, adding that there was enough time for security to evacuate the passenger, but noted that the crew appeared unprepared for such situations.

“If there were some other things happening, what would have happened? Clearly there is a cause for alarm. There is an opportunity for further training. It’s not a problem of standards, annexes, protocols, or procedures. It is a cultural problem. It is a general Nigerian problem,” he said.

The security consultant described aviation security as a top priority globally, expressing concern over what he likened to a lack of seriousness in the Nigerian context.

He urged the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to clamp down on security lapses, pointing to faulty facilities, non-functional equipment, and signal failures from locomotives as pressing issues.

“I think it’s a wake-up call if you ask me,” he added.

Ibom Air incident ‘wake up call’ for aviation security — Consultant