NAHCO collaborates with NSCDC to beef up security at airport

IKEJA – The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), said on Monday that it would collaborate with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to beef up security[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″] at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Mr Bashir Gulma, Head, Corporate Services, made this known to aviation correspondents on Monday in Lagos.
Gulma said that the deployment of the NSCDC operatives was a fallout of the fracas between officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Nov. 2014.
It would be recalled that the fracas led to the closure of the MMIA cargo terminal for about two weeks by the Federal Government.
He said that armed operatives of the NSCDC had since Jan. taken up positions in various sections of the terminal.
The head said that the NSCDC would have the responsibility to further enhance the security of the cargo terminal.
“The operatives who are about 25 will complement other security arrangements already put in place by the ground handler, who also has a subsisting MoU with the Nigeria Air Force.
“NAHCO will do all it takes to ensure that the terminal is sanitized, in line with the stakeholders agreement of Dec. 2014.
“The deployment of the Civil Defence operatives in several areas of operations is just one in our series of efforts to ensure that the cargo terminal meets international requirements.
“We are committed to fulfilling our own part of the agreement we have with the NCS,’’ he said.
Gulma explained that the NSCDC would be confined only to NAHCO’s operational areas, adding that the entrance to the Hajj Camp terminal gate was not one of those areas.
He further disclosed that the company had provided two brand new Hilux vehicles which the NSCDC would use as patrol vehicles.
The head said that the company, in conjunction with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is working on the On Duty Card (ODC) for the Civil Defence operatives, so as to grant them access to the tarmac. (NAN)