Written By Wale Shadare
For airports around the world, security has always been a top priority. One area that has not been tackled by some governments is the provision of perimeter fencing.
Yet, in comparison to the much-publicised initiative occurring in Nigeria’s terminal building, the perimeter fencing has been largely neglected and this poses serious challenges to safety and security.
How has Nigeria managed this challenge? As we know, in most cases where airports do have full fence coverage, their perimeter must be protected.
Most of Nigeria’s airports lack adequate security equipment, from perimeter fencing to operational vehicles and inadequate personnel.
Many of the airports have their perimeter fencing projects terminated and some of the airports, like the one in Benin do not have perimeter fencing at all. The ones in northern parts of the country need urgent security fencing in addition to the perimeter fencing because of the menace of terror organisations.
Perimeter fencing surrounding an airport can be used to deter and delay unauthorised individuals from accessing sensitive areas of the facility. Perimeter barriers can also include natural barriers such as body of water, and can serve as a visual and psychological deterrent.
For effective protection of the airport, areas on both sides are expected to be clear, for example, there should be no climbable objects, bushes, trees or parked vehicles nearby in order to maintain the effectiveness of the fencing, facilitate surveillance of the perimeter and reduce unauthorised individuals’ ability to find cover near the perimeter.
While developed countries have their airports properly fenced in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, many countries in Africa, including Nigeria are yet to take such safety measure.
The incident involving a stowaway, Daniel Oikhena some months ago is a huge testimony to how virtually Nigerian airports are dangerously exposed to threats.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria (NCAA) is yet to certify any of Nigeria’s airports, owing to some perceived deficiencies in virtually all the aerodromes.
The terrorist threat is of prime concern at every major airport. Across the media and in the average person’s mind, the threat lies inside the terminal where security officials must be ready for any eventuality.
However, there is another, possibly more probable, threat. While security inside the terminal focuses on catching a terrorist trying to board an aircraft, the physical security of the airport complex requires officials to prevent intruders from sabotaging airport infrastructure.
The security of facilities, infrastructure and strategic assets at airports and in the immediate vicinity is an integral part of a total aviation security model.
Enhancing the perimeter security posture at airports provides a solid foundation for protection and continuity of operations.
As threats continue to evolve, airports require advance planning, paired with processes for developing valid operational requirements. This must be accomplished through flexible interoperable communications, effective response planning and hardened physical and electronic protection.
Former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd.) told The Guardian that over the years, government had failed to build perimeter fencing at the airports and also failed to train adequate number of aviation security officials to man the terminals.
Ojikutu said it was due to luck rather than organised security programme that had protected the airports from high security infractions that could endanger the lives of passengers and other users of the airports.
Ojikutu said: “Right from the time I have been at the airport, I have always been talking about one single line of security, whether you are Custom, whether you are Immigration or whether you are State Security Service (SSS), just one single line of control, that is exactly what the United States Federal Airport Administration (FAA) did, or what we now call the Transport Security Administration (TSA) immediately after the 9/11 attacks.
The 9/11 taught them a lesson. Before then, everybody was working at cross purposes, they have them just as we have them at the airport but right now where they have the TSA, if you enter any U.S. airport today, you see everybody is one, whether you are in Custom, Immigration, SSS, you see them all one.”
TSA which is more or less part of what they call border security, they have border security, have their Immigration, they have the Customs too like we do here even the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), but they all wear the same uniform. The only difference you are going to see in them are the badges, if you look at the badge, you will see TSA: Customs, TSA: Immigration, TSA: Port Police, TSA: DEA and so on that is what you see there and that is the only way to coordinate information sharing by bringing them together so that they do not work at cross purposes, and for the past several years we have been working hard on how to bring them together, and we write reports what is done or what they do with that report I will not know,” he said.
Thirteen years after the terrorists attacks on September 11, 2001, airports in the United States and across the world have steadily increased their security measures.
Today, most major airports are equipped with hi-tech luggage scanners and full body x-ray machines.
Tens of thousands of trained security personnel occupy airport terminals to ensure the safety of passengers.
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