From Suleiman Idris, Lagos
The airport security at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos was again caught napping yesterday when a boy was discovered hiding inside the tyre compartment of an aircraft parked at the Lagos airport.
The boy identified as Samuel Ogundeyi analysts described him as a stowaway whose aim is to secretly travel to an unknown destination in the underbelly of the plane.
The incident, a serious security breach took place at Execujet, a private general aviation terminal adjacent the international wing of the Lagos airport and baffled security experts.
A source disclosed that pilots were on a routine checks on the said plane marked M-MYNA before starting the engine when they noticed Samuel inside the tyre compartment.
” the teenager was discovered at about 12 noon when pilots of the aircraft marked M-MYNA, was carrying out a routine inspection on the aircraft before starting the engine.” The male source told our correspondent last night.
He said the commanding pilot of the aircraft detected the boy in the tyre compartment of the aircraft, two handsets without sim cards which the suspect claimed ownership were also found in the same compartment.
” In his confessional statement, the suspect claimed he had entered the hangar through the facility of the Headquarters, Air Defence Corp of Nigerian Air Force located next to the Presidential/ VIP Lounge in the airport, on Saturday night with the help of a person he identified only as ‘a brother'”
Samuel, who was said to have spoken in clear Yoruba and Pidgin English Languages, said he was able to cross the runway L18 runway over to ExecuJet facility located in the international wing of the airport, a distance of about one kilometre, at night when he noticed there was no flight landing or taking off on the runway.
The aircraft operated by Tag Aviation information gathered flew in former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Dan Etete into Lagos airport on Saturday night and parked at the private hangar, where it was expected to take off yesterday afternoon before the incident happened.
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