STRANGE! 15YRS OLD BOY STOWAWAY IN NIGERIA AIR SPACE

THE UPDATE

A teenager named Daniel Ikehina unbelievably beat airline and airport security at the Benin airport yesterday Saturday August 24th and sneaked into the tyre compartment of a Lagos-bound Arik flight. The boy flew safely with the aircraft which left Benin around 9am today and landed at Murtala Muhammed airport, hidden throughout in the undercarriage. He was immediately arrested by airport security after passengers saw him emerging from the aircraft tyre hole.

Arik spokesman Banji Ola explains what happened:

The management of Arik Air has expressed shock over the incident wondering how the teenager beat the Aviation Security personnel at the Benin Airport to get to the runway.

The pilot of Arik Air flight W3 544, departing Benin Airport for Lagos at 9.00am today 24th August, 2013 reported to the control tower the presence of a strange boy in the bush about 200 – 300 meters at the end of runway 23.

The control tower told the Captain that they were sending security men to the place to arrest the boy.

As the captain was making his final turn, preparatory for take-off, a cabin crew called his attention to the information by some of the passengers that they saw a boy running towards the airplane.

The First Officer confirmed that they had observed it earlier and alerted the control tower which responded that they have sent the patrol team to arrest the boy.  The Captain again reported to the control tower and was informed that the situation was under control and that he had been cleared for take-off.

On arrival at the domestic wing of MMA, Lagos, a teenage boy, who apparently had sneaked into the aircraft main wheel well jumped out and was arrested by Arik personnel and handed over to FAAN security.

Meanwhile the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) blamed Arik Air for the incident.
FAAN said in a statement:

“Arik Air acted with impunity by not stopping the aircraft to check when the crew and ground personnel’s attention was drawn to an abnormality on the tarmac. This is arrant display of impunity. The aircraft should not have taxied further, but return to the apron until a proper check is carried out on all parts of the aircraft.  FAAN will not tolerate such impunity henceforth from Arik or any airline. Any violation would be met with applicable sanction

The mother of the 15-year-old Stow-away teenager, Ricky Daniel Ohikhena, who sneaked into the wheel of an Arik fight to Lagos last Saturday, was on Monday quizzed for several hours by combined team of the Department of State Security, (DSS) and Aviation security.

Personnel of Arik Air had last Saturday apprehended and handed over a stowaway teenager to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Aviation Security (AVSEC). The lad was on an Arik Air flight from Benin Airport to Lagos.

The pilot of Arik Air flight W3 544, departing Benin Airport for Lagos at 9am reported to the control tower the presence of a strange boy in the bush about 200 – 300 meters  at the end of runway 23.

The control tower told the captain that they were sending security men to the place to arrest the boy.

As the captain was making his final turn, preparatory for take-off, a cabin crew called his attention to the information by some of the passengers that they saw a boy running towards the airplane.  The First Officer confirmed that they had observed it earlier and alerted the control tower which responded that they have sent a patrol team to arrest the boy.

The captain again reported to the control tower and was informed that the situation was under control and that he had been cleared for take-off.

On arrival at the domestic wing of MMA, Lagos, a teenage boy, who apparently had sneaked into the aircraft main wheel, jumped out and was arrested by Arik personnel and handed over to FAAN security.

The management of Arik Air has expressed shock over the incident wondering how the teenager beat the Aviation Security personnel at the Benin Airport to get to the runway.
 

Arik Air’s Managing Director, Mr Chris Ndulue commented: “We are worried by the incessant security lapses at our airports.  We are appealing to the management of FAAN to immediately address the problem.”

However, in a twist, FAAN has blamed the airline for the incident saying the pilot should not have taken off from the Benin airport until he had been given the all clear to do so by airport authorities after security officials had checked the plane to ensure the boy was not on board.

Aviation industry regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has started probing the ArikAir pilots and officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria over alleged security breaches that led to the arrest of a 15-year-old stowaway, Daniel Oikhena, at Lagos Airport on Saturday.

This is even as the boy on Wednesday landed a scholarship to study free to university level and fulfil his dream of flying to the United States of America.

OPINION PLATFORM TEAM learnt the pilot, might lose his licence or be fined huge sum of money if ongoing investigation by the regulators found him guilty of not aborting the  flight for safety checks, following the alleged passenger’s report of presence of a strange boy some metres from the plane.

Already, the regulatory authority has commenced full investigation into the matter, the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, disclosed to our correspondent on Wednesday.

Although the NCAA boss declined to specify the nature of penalty it would impose on Arik Air, its pilot or the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria if they were found guilty, he however said, “If at the end of the day we discover that somebody has not done what it should do, then the appropriate sections of the law will take its full course.”

Akinkuotu stressed that there were penalties and sanctions for breaches in the sector’ and assured that the regulatory agency would not shy away from upholding safety and security regulations in the aviation sector.

On the blames being traded by Arik and FAAN, the NCAA boss said the investigation would reveal whoever was liable.

He said, “Arik might say that FAAN did not provide adequate security, but safety challenges are assuming new trends everyday. The responsibility of any flight lies with the operator. Arik too has responsibility. It was reported that a passenger raised an alarm. If there is merit in that, it means there was a possibility of doing something about it. All these our investigation will unravel.”

The NCAA boss however said that the agency, in the meantime, had put in place measures to stop future re-occurrence.

“Every aircraft that is departing will be followed until take-off. FAAN security will follow them. On our part, we have to continue to monitor everything. There will be greater monitoring at the perimeter fence and access control now.”

Akinkuotu said that the issue of stowaway was age-long and not peculiar to Nigeria and the aviation sector.

 “Stowaway has been age-long since the time when ship was invented; those with criminal intent will also be looking for ways to break the law,” he said.

Aviation security expert and former Military Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Group Captain John Ojikutu, retd, said the Benin incident had shown that the NCAA needed to audit and investigate the Arik Air security programme and the Benin Airport security programme.

Ojikutu said, “That boy could have been a courier for terrorists. The NCAA needs to find out how the boy knew part of the aircraft and where to enter. How are we sure somebody did not assist him. If the Benin Airport access control and perimeter fencing is not porous, how did he get into the aircraft.”

“Meanwhile, Oikhena has been offered a scholarship by the De Raufs’ Volunteer Group, a group of supporters of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola”.

The Director-General of the group, Amitolu Shittu, in a statement on Wednesday, said the scholarship was offered to the stowaway to enable the boy to achieve his target of travelling through the air.

Matter Arising

Strange things do continue to happen in this part of the world including great country like Nigeria. Nigeria state is a great country where great things happen intermittently. However super Daniel as I will like to address him has make another history as a Nigerian telling the world that Nigerian are full of abilities that is beyond any imagination. Hence, this issue has generated many controversies in the nooks and crannies of Nigeria state affront of the media debate to ascertain whether this act is good or bad for a super Daniel of this Age.

The debate whether the act is “Good or Bad” 

Like I rightly said before that , whether young super Daniel act is good or bad has generated my media controversies whether the act is acceptable or not. I have taken my time to follow trend of things and peoples opinions about this issues. The most important thing is that this particular act has generated diverse opinion and suggestion whether the act should be commendable or applaudable. However, in matter of this significant act, several question needed to be ask and answers before conclusion can be reached!

My questions go thus:

1. Has anybody ever find out who Super Daniel is? - Home, background, school life, upbringing, his philosophy and believes?
2. How did he manage to understudy the airport terrain, security network and the next available flight?
3. It takes good aeronautic knowledge to know safe hidden place in an aircraft, how did the boy of this age, background, environment, education, experience and knowledge  know and recognized this part of an aircraft to hide?
4. How did he manage to sneak amidst tight airport security network to airport terminal?
5. Has anybody ever find out about core economic status of his family?
6. To understand Super Daniel better character-wise, has anybody interview his friends, teachers, classmates, neighbours and colleagues to get his moral details?
7. What has prompted the poor Super Daniel to think of taken this option of flew from home?
8. Is he aware of the risks and danger involved to put his life on line considering this option of becoming the current superman or Aircraft conductor?
9. Assuming this boy is given adequate and sufficient socio economic care at home will he consider this suicidal action or alternative?
10. Is it related to the brake down or decadence in the value system in our contemporary Nigeria?
11. Does it mean that there is no security sensor within the aircraft that can detect such act abode the airplane for security reasons?
12. Is it an outcome of our awkward and inadequate security network in our airport around the country?
13. Can it be said that super Daniel was swindle and assisted by internal person to accompany his mission?
14. Why did he not wait for all the passengers abode the aircraft to properly alert before joining the travelers on board the plane?
15. Has he been brainwash, connected or linked to any terrorist group(s) or nursing the notorious ambition of becoming one someday?
16. How has Nigeria project instigate super Daniel extreme suicidal decision?

However, these are many more questions to ask in dealing with this cross national issues that has generated many controversies within and outside the media. “The most important thing in life is that nobody thought of any mission to be accompanished without any reason(s)”. However our own Nigeria superman “Daniel” should be questioned.

Deliberating, vibrating and linking this matter to criminality, ethnicity, brevity, terrorism, over-ambitious, spirit of desperation etc “is not a welcome development”.  However, in my own personal opinion, the issue of scholarship issuance, prosecution, politicizing and criticism must be however suspended as this matter required thorough logical investigation to ascertain what preempt him from taken such suicidal decision.

 In summary, this act is condemnable in a societal view, criminality in a legal point of reference, extreme and suicidal in economic point of view, it portrays decadence in our nation value system but commendable for his brevity and thus if morally, political, societal certify thus my honourable, current record breaking and the most Google search Nigerian of the week must be duly rewarded, applauded and encouraged.  

Courtesy of Campaign for New Nigeria Advocacy Group (CNNAG)