Mangled body on runway: FAAN to boost airfield security with visual, thermal cameras
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said it will soon take delivery of visual and thermal cameras to boost security at the nation’s major airports.
The decision is fueled by the recent discovery of a mangled body on the airport runway in Lagos, and other incidents of the stowaway and perimeter incursions recorded at various airports in the past.
For a solution, the Managing Director, FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, disclosed at a press briefing with the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, that the Authority has procured the airfield surveillance equipment from a German company, and would be delivered in the next two months.
According to Yadudu, the Authority identified the security problem and started working out the process to procure the equipment in 2018, but it was only approved last year (2021) by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We have resolved the security issue and the manifestation is on ground. In that singular incident of a mangled body found on the runway, there is still an investigation ongoing, but we can’t make any public statement until the result of the investigation is out. There are a lot of theories on it. I won’t dwell much on this until the report of the investigation is out.
“However, government processes and due process are necessary and also matter in all we do. A private airport can have a problem today and by tomorrow, it can deploy the solutions to it. We know the solutions to the problems we have, but we have to ensure that the due processes are followed for us to implement them.
“Additional issues arise when you have to bring the equipment from abroad; there is manufacturing, shipping, and others. Some things you can know, identify them and before you can ensure a solution, it may take you up to a year.
“I was a Director of Operations in FAAN when we realised there is the need for total surveillance for the whole airport. I went to Munich, Germany by the end of 2018 or so, and identified the company; they came to do lead assessment twice; marking and survey.
“They gave us the estimate for visual and thermal infrared cameras – visuals to cover the areas for a whole day – sunrise to sunset and thermal from sunset to early morning. If a rabbit is walking within an 8km radius, which is 16km in diameter, they will pinpoint it. The runway is 3.7km or 3.8km and we are buying about four of those cameras to cover the airfield.
We started procurement and Capt. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation was very supportive. As of now, the procurement has been concluded and Mr. President approved it last year, part-payment has already been made to the manufacturer. The Chief of Staff and I went to the factory to ensure that what we are buying is what we are getting. We were there last November.
“The delivery will happen within the next one or two months and then installation follows. This is fully automated; it will be spanning 360 degrees. We already know the solutions to all the challenges we are going through, the minister knows and even Mr. President knows, too,” said Yadudu.
He added that before the installation of the cameras, the Authority has deployed motorized equipment and military personnel for manual patrol at the airfield side of the Lagos and Abuja airports.
“In the meantime, we already set up the manual patrol; the military is going around the airport facilities for improved security. This automation is not just in Lagos, but it includes Abuja airport.
“We also bought two motorised equipment. If you have any security challenges at any airport, we will drive it there and deploy it. Inside the vehicle, we have three screens that we can use to monitor and protect the airports,” said Yadudu.
