The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Monday raised concerns over the use of Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs) by terrorists and other criminal elements to disrupt the country’s socio-economic activities.
It however, said that the ONSA’s National Counter-terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the United Kingdom (UK) government is working on mitigating the threats posed by the UAVs and other aviation-related menace associated with counter-terrorism operations.
National Coordinator of the centre, Major General Adamu Laka, who spoke in Abuja on Monday during the opening session of the Counter Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) Workshop, said: “It once again emphasises the need for us to work together, identifying our crucial roles and collaborating to record great progress in the country’s aviation security.
“It, therefore, stresses the need for inter-agency collaboration and cross-border relationships to stem this tide
because terrorism recognizes no borders.
“In view of this, the NCTC-ONSA in collaboration with the UK Department for Transport Aviation Security seeks to address this aspect of aviation security management in Nigeria with this workshop.
“This workshop should be seen as a call to re-awakening for collaborative effort which we all must embrace, as
victory by one is victory by all of us and a greater victory for our entire nation, the African continent and the
world at large.”
General Laka, while charging all the participants, stated that the development must be adequately tackled through continuous collaboration by aviation security stakeholders.
On his part, Mr Jonathan Kendall, Aviation Security Assistance officer for the UK Department for Transport at the British High Commission, said the workshop was looking to mitigate what he called a ‘standoff threat.’
Kendall said while a nation could secure the terminal building as much as it could, the workshop looks at
countering the wider threat beyond the perimeter fence.
He said on takeoff and landing, aircraft are vulnerable to shoulder launched missiles which can impact
an aircraft up to 30,000ft.
“So we have brought a team from the Royal Air Force regiment who are experienced in countering these threats, and they are working to further develop the Nigerian capability in this area, particularly in the area of vulnerability mapping.
“I will expect the Nigerian agencies to further develop their MANPADS capability, the counter MANPADS capability, particularly when it comes to patrolling and mapping vulnerable areas of the airport,” he said.
