24 hours after abduction of staff, gunmen yet to reach out — NAMA

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Folayele Akinkuotu has lamented that 24 hours after a staff of the agency with his entire family members who formed part of the eleven Kaduna airport workers abducted by gunmen at the airport, that their abductors were yet to reach out to the agency.

Speaking at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos at the weekend when the senate committee on aviation paid an oversight function visit to the Lagos airport, Akinkuotu called for the cooperation of the National Assembly in protecting assets of NAMA at various stations and airports, stressing that some of its equipment are regularly vandalized by hoodlums.

He however, warned that if the development continued that it may jeopardize efforts of the government in improving air safety in the sector.

Also speaking on the development during the committee’s visit to Lagos airport, Senator Smart Adeyemi canvassed local government policing, stressing that Nigeria as a federating unit should not shy away from taking a decisive action to tackle the menace.

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While agitating for the restructuring of the entire country in a bid to address the various security challenges confronting the country and wondered why some continued to kick against restructuring, Adeyemi maintained that the agitation for restructuring won’t lead to secession of the country as claimed in some quarters.

“There is a need for us to evolve new security architecture for Nigeria. Our population has increased and we are still faced with porous borders. Nigeria is not a clear cut federal system. I don’t know how to describe this country; federal system or unitary system, but I do know that Nigeria is said to be a federation and all nations where federalism is practiced, we do not run a unitary system of policing.

“I think the time has come for Nigeria to evolve a system that will appreciate the size of the nation and the diversities. You don’t recruit a graduate we graduated from University of Maiduguri for instance and you post him to Lagos to come and police. He doesn’t know the system and the areas. So, criminals can take advantage of that.

“What I am saying in essence is that the time has come for Nigeria to look at not just a state police, but a local government policing and that is why in the United States, their security is very effective because when you visit any county, the police are aware of those who live there.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE