Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says the ministry is collaborating with the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to take steps towards addressing complaints of harassment by security operatives at Nigerian airports, one of which is acquisition of 1,000 body cameras for use by security agencies operating at airports
He said the move follows incessant complaints over airport harassments and activities of security operatives at Nigerian airports.
Keyamo, who made this known in an interview on Channels Television said that he was in talks with NSA Nuhu Ribadu to tackle the issue because he is concerned about the harassment of passengers.
He explained that the NSA has initiated measures to address the problem, including the acquisition of 1,000 body cameras for use by security agencies operating at airports, adding that the cameras are expected to enhance transparency and accountability among personnel.
“We have complained to the national security adviser on this because we are concerned about the harassment of Nigerians. Take note, it is not aviation, it is not Keyamo, I see people tagging me all the time, ‘somebody just asked for a bribe from me,’ but it is somebody from another agency.
“They tag me all the time, it is not me, it is not aviation. We have to complain to the Office of the National Security Adviser who is doing a lot on this.
“I have mentioned before that the training is almost over now. He bought 1,000 body cameras that all the agencies will wear. We just want to go through the training first. There is a command centre for this where everybody will see exactly the moving cameras on everybody’s chest,” Keyamo said.
He further clarified that while security agencies play a critical role in ensuring safety, their operations must be conducted with professionalism and minimal disruption to passengers. He disagreed with calls for most of the security agencies to be pulled out of the airports, citing instances of arrests of drug traffickers at the airports by the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as one of the reasons why these agencies should be at the airport
“These agencies should be at the airports but they should have their cubicles inside. It is when you suspect somebody that you pull him out and take him to a restricted zone and check the person.
“Not that every stop you see NDLEA checking your bag, DSS checking your bag and all that. That is what we don’t want, that is what Nigerians don’t want and that is what we must do to please Nigerians,” the minister added.
