Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
The Ministry of Aviation has concluded training of the first batch of 40 Aviation Security personnel on Arms Precision Training for Aviation Security Personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) as part of its policy to arm Aviation Security personnel at the airports.
This is just as Government has cautioned the newly trained arm bearers to eschew any form of intimidation of innocent passengers ising the airports merely because they have been armed explaining that civil aviation’s propriety must be upheld no matter what
Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had first made the arms policy known in 2017 and reiterated it at the 5th Stakeholders Forum on the 10th November 2018 and has pursued it through a Bill until it was passed as part of the FAAN’s amended Act in 2022.
Training on arms carriage, long range shooting, disarmament had been ongoing culminating to the closing ceremony of the training of the Batch 1-2023 personnel event which took place at the National Institute for Security Studies(NISS), Lower Usman Dam, Bwari, Abuja on April 28, 2023.
The event had in attendance Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika; Representative of the DG, DSS, Mrs Bolatito Sure-Olufe fsi; Dr Emmanuel C.Meribole, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Alh. A.S Adeleke fsi, Daga, mni, Commandant, National Institute for Security Studies; Representative of the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Grp. Capt. Usman S.A. Sadiq; Capt. Mukhtar Muye, Director of Airport Operations; Mr Sadiku Abdulkadir Rafindadi, Director of Commercial and Business Development; Mr Honorius Anozie, Director of Human Resources and Administration and other Management Team of the Authority.
The trainees were selected from different airports across the country and would be deployed once all the training is complete.
The Minister charged the trainees to see this as a call to duty asking for utmost dedication and warned them against harassing or intimidating innocents because they have been given arms but should protect them, but that no misdemeanour on their part would be taken lightly.
He told the personnel that the civility of civil aviation must be upheld at all cost.
“This training that you have received is expected to commit you to the level of dedication that is expected in ensuring that the nation of Nigeria will not only be proud but also reap the benefits of this well-organised training.
“In acceptance to be trained as aviation security personnel, you must realise that it is a privilege to serve your country at this level as the aviation industry is one place where adherence is vital.
NigerianFLIGHTDECK learnt that arms like teasers, batons, sniffer dogs, sidearms will be bequeathed to security agents around the country as the president has given the approval.
Recall, there were serious security infractions which led to the Government’s resolve to chart the course. The major ones were in Sokoto and Bauchi and another one involving Turkish Airline in Abuja where passengers overpowered security and gained access to the airside to barricade the airline’s aircraft in August 2016.
