Nigerian stowaway found dead in wheel-well of Lagos-Johannesburg Arik Air aircraft, after return flight to Lagos

Security chiefs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos are brainstorming on how a young Nigerian man was discovered dead yesterday in the wheel-well, the under-carriage compartment of Arik Air aircraft that flew to Johannesburg on Saturday and returned on Monday to Lagos.


The dead body was found when the A330 aircraft landed in Lagos and at the time of filing this story, no one could explain how the deceased gained access to the airside of the airport and into the aircraft wheel-well.

There are speculations that the deceased was helped by some  of the security officials to access the aircraft when it was parked yet to board passengers and hid there until it took off to South Africa.

Pilots and aeronautical engineers  familiar with the compartment said it is roomy enough to contain a human being, but it is highly unlikely that any one who hid there would come out alive after a flight that took several hours due to lack of oxygen.

Inside source told THISDAY that the body was not discovered in Johannesburg because the airline usually does a quick turnaround back to Lagos the following day.

The source also explained why the deceased inevitably died, saying "As we  climb high,  the temperature becomes low, getting below freezing level when the aircraft is cruising between 35,000 to 40, 000 feet. The guy probably died due to lack of oxygen."

An operator who spoke to THISDAY expressed shock at the incident and said, "How can this happen after we have gained Category 1 safety status from the United States".

 These security officials at the airports will make us lose this rating which is a very big advantage and a boost to aviation development in this country."

THISDAY spoke to senior Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) official concerned with security who said that all the top security officials at the airport were holding meetings to find out how the incident happened.

In a telephone interview,  the official told THISDAY that it could not be explained how the deceased accessed the airside of the airport,adding that security was yet to identify the dead body but investigation was on to know who the deceased was.On the speculation that the late Nigerian was aided by aviation security officials from FAAN, the source said, "You cannot say that for now.  We don't know the people that might be responsible. It is not only aviation security officials that operate at the airport. We have Customs, Immigration, NDLEA and others, so it is too early to point accusing finger on anybody."

Over the years there have been allegations that Aviation Securityofficials help people to stowaway through this and other methods outof the country.It was also alleged that the security officials aide drug traffickersto the airside, using the runway inspection and wild-life vans.The allegation was confirmed in 2006 when cameras picked securityofficials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos,helping drug trafficker to access the airside and to the foot of theaircraft designated to him and other passengers out of the country.Those involved were severely punished by the then Federal Government.

Source: Thisday Newspaper