The National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA), and the UK Government are collaborating to mitigate aviation related threats associated with counter terrorism operations in Nigeria.
The National Coordinator of NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, stated this at the inauguration of the Counter Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) Workshop, on Monday in Abuja.
Laka said the workshop was one of the outputs of aviation security addressed during the Nigeria-UK Strategic Defence Partnership Conference in February 2024.
He said the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by terrorists and other criminal elements to disrupt the country’s socio-economic activities was of serious concern.
The development, he said, must be adequately tackled through continuous collaboration by aviation security stakeholders.
According to him, the workshop is a welcome development and could not have come at a better time as no agency can solely achieve laudable success in the fight against terrorism.
“It emphasised the need for the two countries to work together, to identify the crucial roles and collaboration 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 recognises 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 the workshop.
“This workshop should be seen as a call to re-awakening for collaborative efforts 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,’’ he said.
On his part, Mr Jonathan Kendall, Aviation Security Assistance Officer, UK Department for Transport, British High Commission, said the workshop aimed to mitigate what he called a ‘standoff threat’.
Kendall said that 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.
According to him, 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.
“So 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.