Illegal Migrantion: Male Stowaway Found Dead In Arik Air's Undercarriage

Illegal migration that took death twist. People hatch and explore all kinds or reckless means of leaving the shores of Nigeria. Going by the way the country is run do you blame those seeking greener pastures even though it is not guaranteed to be green after all. By virtue of the Nigeria's flag we have lots of GREEN PASTURE.

 The dead body of a young Nigerian man was discovered yesterday Friday October 26th in the wheel well, the undercarriage compartment of an Arik Air aircraft, after it returned from a flight to New York, United States.

Apparently, The deceased hid himself in the wheel Compartment for days and was crushed to death while the flight was airborne to the JF Kennedy Airport, New York, from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

An official who spoke to Journalist said the dead body was found during a check on the aircraft panel as it was being prepared for another flight and that the undercarriage compartment of the Airbus A340-500 is big enough to accommodate a person, besides the space for the tyres.

"He probably might have hidden himself there some days and died while the aircraft was on its way to New York. We found him when we were doing checks on the panel; the aircraft probably came back with him dead," the official said.

The source said that it is out of ignorance that people hide in the wheel well and plan to stowaway because "the compartment is not pressurised like the cabin of an aircraft and it is not heated, so survival is rare even if the person is not crushed by the wheels."

Pilots and aeronautical engineers familiar with the wheel well compartment said it is roomy enough to contain a human being, but it is highly unlikely that any one who hid there would come out alive after a flight that took several hours due to lack of oxygen.

The official attributed the incident to porous security at the airport, noting that "if having access to the airside is stringently prohibited, anybody that is not an official of airlines, handling companies and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria would not gain access to the tarmac."

Another source said: "The security at the airport is very bad and that explains why somebody can gain access to the airside and inside the aircraft and no one will know. Security around the cargo area is even worse and from there anybody can take anything into the tarmac. Now, it is a human being that is smuggled in; one day a dangerous object will be smuggled in."

THISDAY investigations revealed that stowaways connive with ground handling companies to access the airside and the wheel well.

"The handling company workers and the security operatives indulge in a lot of illicit activities at the airport and over the years there have been efforts to put a check on such excesses but every effort has so far failed," said another source.

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Official Statement From Arik Regarding The Boko Haram Incident

Earlier Rhipplemedia reported about the boko Haram member that attempted to blow up Arik Plane that arrived Abuja from Maiduguri this afternoon, and in their usual style, The ministry of aviation has denied it and Arik Air has issued an official statement!

Arik Air's Official Statement

There is no iota of truth in the rumour making the rounds that a passenger attempted to bomb an Arik Air aircraft operating a flight from Maiduguri to Abuja today, Tuesday, October 23, 2012.

To set the records straight, a passenger on board flight W3 812 from Maiduguri to Abuja caused a scare when he started shouting Allah Akbar shortly before the aircraft landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The frightened passengers on board the flight became suspicious thinking the man was about to do something sinister..

All the passengers on board the flight, including the man in question, had all gone through the normal security check at the Maiduguri International Airport and nothing incriminating was found on anyone.

However, when the aircraft landed in Abuja, another security check was conducted on the passenger and nothing incriminating was found on him. A further security search was conducted on the operating aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 NG (Next Generation) and no trace of bomb or explosives were found. The aircraft went back to service immediately.

Arik Air wishes to assure guests that all its flights undergo strict security checks and passengers have nothing to fear. The airline’s Aviation Security Department is one the most sophisticated in the industry and its commitment to security and safety of passengers is second to none in Africa.

The airline just last weekend in Accra, Ghana won the award of the Best Security and Safety Conscious Airline in West and Central Africa.

Signed: Arik Management

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Aviation: Arik Air Permanently Bans 27 People From Using Their Flight

Arik Air on  Tuesday released a list of persons banned permanently from taking any of its operated flights to any destination. Top on the list was the Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr George Uriesi. The reasons given for the ban range from fighting Arik staff, disrupting Arik flight operations, to being declared wanted by security agencies.

Other people blacklisted include Omojuwa Japhet, Victor Ogbondah, Lawal Lateef, Obayomi Osoba, Obiriki James, Guanah Raymos, a Somalian, Warsame Amed Abdulkair, a Sudanese, Abdel Rahman, Wala Eldin and Orji Daniel Ikechukwu, Grace Nkiruka Guobadia, Adesanya David, Uzoh Hilman, Davis Fasan Adesola, Musa Azeez Arisekola and others.

The reason given for blacklisting FAAN Managing Director was simply “management Decision.” But aviation industry watchers know that there has been a running battle between FAAN management and Arik Air over unresolved debt issues which culminated last Thursday in Arik flight operations being shut down by aviation unions that claimed they were trying to recover the N17 billion Arik was owing the three aviation agencies.

Though the debt issue was temporarily resolved last Saturday after the intervention of the Federal Government through the Secretary to the Government of the federation, Chief Pius Anyim, this latest action by Arik shows that the issues are far from being resolved.

As at press time, the reaction of FAAN management and Federal Government was being awaited.

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