This was confirmed through a document which hinted of how ISIS had started sneaking their members to Nigeria from Syria to train terrorists who they expect to subsequently carry out planned heinous crime against Nigeria.
Since the news broke out, the country and the aviation sector in particular has been at the receiving end of the various dramas that have been playing out.
As scary as the news of the threat could have been, the good thing is that the Federal Government has quickly risen to the occasion by not only alerting its security network and all aviation authorities, but tightening security around airports.
Without any doubt, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the body responsible for making theairports safe and secured for flying activities has been up and doing in other not to be caught napping.
ALSO READ: Governors meet over minimum wage, Paris Club refund, others
Confirming the readiness of FAAN to make theairports a no go area to any terrorist or undesirable element, he General Manager, Corporate Communications at FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu declared that in other not to be caught napping after the intelligence report, that screening and profiling of passengers have been upped with the installation of more security cameras, the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) at strategic points at the airports especially the international airports.
Besides the screening gadgets, there is the heavy presence of men from the bomb disposal unit watching and monitoring passengers and luggage at the screening points at the airports to prevent any terrorist attempt.
Going round the airports particularly, there is 24 hours joint military patrol with plain cloth security operatives gathering reports that will be useful for National security.
It is no longer news how the subsequent governments had almost abandoned the security of the airports to FAAN forgetting that this responsibility cannot be shouldered by only FAAN which already has the top function of running the 22 airports in the country.
Obviously, God has been kind to Nigeria despite the atrocious activities of the Boko Haram sect around Nigeria, without doubt FAAN has relatively been able to keep the airports safe despite the myriad of challenges confronting it.
However, with the latest security threat, the time has come for the federal government to take its rightful place in the security of the airports through adequate funding.
The job of keeping the airports safe and secured required heavy funding and therefore, if FAAN is to go far, it will be almost impossible for the authority alone to keep the airports safe from Boko Haram, ISIS and the other undesirable elements.
Besides funding FAAN adequately, there is the need for a synergy between office of the National Security adviser and FAAN in ensuring the airports are well secured.
The time has come for the government to give more priority to airport security through the adequate funding of FAAN and other aviation authorities.
There is no amount of money spent by any government to secure its airports that is a waste due to the sensitive role an airport plays in the life of a country.
Any country that that handles its aviation sector with levity is sitting on a keg of gunpowder which may explode anytime under the present era when terrorists across the world are diverting their criminal activities to aviation.
At this juncture, government should capitalise on the leaked terrorist plan to attack aircraft in Nigeria to assist FAAN and other relevant aviation authorities through its national security office to provide the critical components needed to upgrade the security network at the airports.
Nigeria has been lucky not to have recorded any untoward incident in any of its airports, therefore, with the leaked terrorist plan to unleash havoc on the country, all hands must be on the deck to ensure either ISIS, Boko Haram or any of their likes do not succeed in their evil plan.
and then