‎FG defends search of Atiku’s plane by DSS

THE Federal Government has ‎defended the search of the Aircraft that conveyed the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the 2019 general election, Abubakar Atiku, by men of the Department of State Services (DSS) when he returned from Dubai on Sunday.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in a statement made available by his Press Secretary, James Odaudu, stated that, “Our attention has been drawn to the reaction of a section of the public to the statement of the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, in respect of the check conducted on the aircraft belonging to the Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja recently.”

“We would like to state that the check at the airport and the Minister’s statement were not driven by any political consideration, as being wrongly interpreted by a section of Nigerians, but by professional and industry practice as regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).”

He said: “It should be noted that such checks as carried out on the former Vice President’s aircraft are mandatory and routine and that no one is exempted, except the President, Vice President and visiting Presidents.”

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“According to the National Civil Aviation Security Programme, “Exemption from the primary inspection and screening process at the airport central screening points are extended to the following persons when travelling on official business; a. Visiting Head of State and entourage; b. the President and entourage, and c. the Vice President and entourage.”

Sirika noted that: “The ICAO security programme also requires that Ministers and senior government officials are screened in the same manner as other passengers as they are expected to set examples for the travelling public and to the aviation security officials responsible for screening passengers.”

According to him, “It is a routine practice that all incoming aircraft and passengers on international flights must go through customs, immigration, health, security and money laundering checks.”

“The general public is therefore assured that the Ministry and its agencies would always accord the desired respect to the nation’s leaders, just as they are committed to ensuring the entrenchment of safety and security at the nation’s airports.