Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria

The statutory responsibility of Aviation Security is the management of security in the airports. As clearly spelt out in Annex17 Document and the Security Manual, it is mandated to "safeguard international civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference". It is also the police organ of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
Its main functions include:

• Screening of Passengers and their carry on baggage to forestall the introduction of dangerous devices aboard the aircraft.
• Protection of airfield equipment against sabotage.
• Escort of aircraft to holding point to forestall destruction.
• Crowd control and facilitation of passenger by arresting and prosecuting touts.
• Patrol of perimeter to check criminal activities and unauthorised access on the airside.
• Mounting of surveillance within the precincts of the airport to detect and nip criminal acts.
• Traffic control to keep internal access road free of obstruction by raiding illegal hawkers and checking vehicular movement on the airside.
• Emergency control duties in respect of

1. 1. Bomb Threat,
   2. Hijack Threat,
   3. Terrorism,
   4. Sabotage.

Over the years the department has designed several measures to enhance the performance of its duties. All the measures have taken into account the operating environment, the exigencies and the development of airport security management worldwide.
They include:

• Mandatory passenger processing.
• Or effective inspection/screening, X-ray screening machines have been installed at the major airports.
• Both International and Domestic Airports are provided with Hand Held Metal Detectors for passenger screening coupled with other physical or manual measures.
• Airside and landside gates and vulnerable points have been physically reinforced. At some airports guard duties are carried out in conjunction with armed police or military personnel.
• Consistent and regular patrol of perimeter fences undertaken to ward off vicious elements and check incursions.
• Vehicular movements on the airside effectively controlled to prevent unauthorised vehicles and prohibited items from having access to aircraft.
• The grassroot airport security committee meets regularly at the airport level and takes decisive action on matters bordering on security.
• The Airport Security Committee serves as a forum for the dissemination of information to other agencies.
• Airport Security Programme have been updated except at airports, which are yet to complete theirs.
• Areas of restricted access are adequately enclosed and marked with signs to prevent entry of unauthorised persons and vehicles.
• Physical barriers are installed separating public areas from all cargo, baggage, mail, stores, operator's supplies and catering intended to be carried on an aircraft.
• The introduction of the colour coded on-duty card system at Murtala Muhammed Airport serves as a veritable means of access control. In the interim the other airports are making use of improvised on-duty cards, which have been very effective in warding off undesirable elements.
• On the advice of the security department the conveyor belts were re-routed at MMA thereby stopping a decade of pilferage.

Crime

Crime statistics from the outstations have shown remarkable decline in the wave of crime over the past years. Efforts are consistently made to rid the airports of criminals. Consistent and constant perimeter patrols have reduced the pilferage of airfield fittings.

Traffic Movement at Airside

In recognition of the necessity for orderly vehicular movement across the tarmac, the recommendation of the committee on the control of vehicular movements on the airside have been strictly implemented and enforced. This has led to the implementation of the RZAQ recognised standards for vehicles allowed to operate on the airside.