A suspected Nigerian stowaway was yesterday found dead on the wheel well, the undercarriage compartment of an Arik Air aircraft at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Arik Air engineers were checking the aircraft in preparation for a flight when the body of the stowaway (a man) was discovered in the main wheel well of the aircraft. The discovery was immediately reported to security and regulatory officials at the airport.
Adebanji Ola, spokesperson for Arik told Daily Sun “investigations had commenced to determine where the stowaway actually originated.
“The aircraft has been fumigated by the Port Health authorities while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities officials are carrying out their investigations,” Ola added.
It would be the third time in the last three years that Nigerians would stowaway on flights operated by Arik Air, the most remarkable being that of a young boy who successfully stowed away on a Benin –Lagos flight in 2013.
Daily Sun learnt that men of the Lagos Airport Police Command have evacuated the remains of the suspect and have deposited it at an undisclosed mortuary, following due diligence by the relevant Aviation and Security agencies. The Airbus A345 -500 where the suspected was found is used by Arik Air to operate the Lagos – Dubai, and Lagos – South African routes.
Yakubu Dati, spokesperson for The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said that the agency is currently reviewing footages of the CCTV system and airside security operations with a view to identifying the gaps and personnel failure, if any, in order to take remedial actions following the latest stowaway incident. “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has intensified efforts at improving security and safety at both land and airside through the installation of high tech screening machines, CCTV surveillance cameras and patrol teams,” Dati said.
“The Authority is assuring all travelling passengers of safety of lives and property throughout the nation’s airport,” he added.
Aside the usual space for the aircraft tyres, the undercarriage compartment of the Airbus A345 is actually big enough to accommodate a person. But health and aviation experts have consistently warned that survival rate is usually rare for humans as the compartment is never pressurized, meaning that the absence of oxygen over a long stretch of flight hours, could result in the death of the stowaway. And then there is also the high risk of a person being crushed by the wheels.
