Passengers flying from the Benin Airport in Edo on Monday expressed concerns over the physical search conducted on passengers due to faulty scanners.

According to some airport workers who spoke on condition of anonymity, the scanners have been out of service for a long time, forcing officials to conduct manual searches of passengers.

Some of the passengers, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, said it was a major safety risk for the airport to continue operating without scanners.

A passenger on one of the flights to Lagos said that given the level of insecurity in Nigeria, it was concerning that the scanners were out, as anybody could get items that might be risky to the lives of passengers and crews.

“The way people are physically searched shows that somebody can easily smuggle weapons into the planes.

“I don’t live in Nigeria. I came to see my people for about a month now and am on my way to Lagos, from where I will transit to my place of residence abroad. What is going on here should not happen in this century.

“I think the federal government should question those involved, as such a breakdown should be given utmost priority,” the passenger lamented.

Another passenger said she was shocked by the lack of scanners while at the airport to board a flight to Abuja.

“The frisking itself is absurd. In fact, most of us discussed it, and some resolved to use the Asaba airport next time and then transit from there to Benin by road.

“The airport itself is rundown. The security is deplorable. As we were coming in, we noticed a football field where youths were playing football with just a wire fence separating it from the airport.

“Anyone can jump through that field into the airport, and anything can happen. There is a need for the airport authority to sit up,” she said.

Also speaking, a passenger, who gave his name as Friday Iyare, said, “This airport is a huge security risk. Something must be done and fast.

“There is no justification for airport scanners to be out of order. We can understand a breakdown of one but not all. This is sad and must be addressed.”

When contacted on the issue, Uju Okafor, the public relations officer to the airport manager, Felix Akinbinu, stated that she was unavailable to respond to questions but promised he would reach out as soon as possible.

She also declined to comment on the scanners or whether anything was being done to address the issue. 

(NAN)