Aviation Minister, Sirika Speaks On Why Security Officials Searched Atiku’s Plane

Sirika Says Search Was Only A Routine Check

The Federal Government has given reasons for the search conducted on the private jet of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on arrival from Dubai.

Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, in a statement, also confirmed that the Task Force on Currency at the airport did the routine action of checking the former Vice President’s travel bag, but added that he was accorded full respect as a senior citizen.

Sirika described the outcry over the check as a mischievous attempt to grab the headlines.

“Nigerians need to know that one of the resolutions of the Atiku team at their recently-concluded, opulently-held Dubai retreat was to embark on scaremongering. This is one of such.

“For the records, all incoming passengers on international flights go through customs, Immigration, health and security screening.

“Where the aircraft is using the private, charter wing, as the PDP Candidate did, such arrivals are met by a team of the Immigration, customs and other security agencies. They go to the arriving aircraft as a team.

“The airport authorities confirm that this is a routine process, applying to all international arrivals, including the minister unless the passenger is the President of Nigeria. The President, the Vice President and passengers aboard planes on the Presidential air fleet use the Presidential wing of the airport,” Sirika said.

According to him, “it was also important to state that even in the Presidential Wing of the airport, the President of Nigeria uses, there is the presence of Immigration and other security officials who must stamp his or her passport on arrival.”