The Defence Headquarters and the Department of State Services,
on Saturday, said they were hunting for members of Boko
Haram at airports and major public facilities in the country.

The security measure became necessary as the DSS revealed
that it had uncovered a plot by Boko Haram to bomb the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The intelligence agency also smashed a spy network mounted
by the terrorist group at the airport.

Following the development, the service and the military have
stepped up security at all airports across the country to
frustrate other similar plots.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria controls 22 federal
airports in the country.

The DSS, in a statement on Saturday by an official, Tony
Opuiyo, stated that it apprehended a 14-year-old boy from Kogi
State, Sulaiymon Abdulrahman, aka Sunday Ajayi, who was
monitoring travellers’ movement, including passenger
screening, boarding procedures and other process in the
departure and arrival halls.

It explained that on August 24, 2015, the agency, in liaison with
NAIA aviation security, arrested Abdulrahman, who confessed
that he infiltrated the airport with the assistance of one Dauda
Sadiq, aka Peter, who was still at large.

The service said Abdulrahman added that Sadiq directed him to
spy on the installation and pass to him information with regard
to travellers’ movement, boarding procedures and other process
at the airport.

The DSS said, “With this knowledge, the service is working
closely with major aviation stakeholders, especially the
Aviation Security Department, to forestall any possible attack
and to ensure adequate security at the airports.

“This is aside other measures, which have been put in place to
ensure protection of lives and property across the country.”
The service reminded the public to remain vigilant and patriotic
by being security conscious at all times.

It further urged them to report all issues and persons of
suspicion to the nearest security agency.

“The public is further enjoined to assist with information that
could be useful in stamping out insecurity with a view to making
Nigeria safe,” the DSS said.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the suspected Boko Haram spy had
approached the screening point boldly without having any travel
documents.

It was also gathered that he lied to aviation security screening
officials that his uncle was with his travel documents and had
already undergone screening, adding that the said uncle was
seated inside the departure lounge with passengers who had
been screened.

The spokesperson for the NAIA, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, told one
of our correspondents that the incident was shrewdly handled by
aviation security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of
Nigeria.

She said, “I spoke with our head of security and was made to
understand that it happened on August 20. It was FAAN security
that arrested the boy under shady circumstances and handed
him over to the DSS for interrogation.

“He was arrested at our screening point while trying to pass
through the screening without having a ticket or passport. As
usual for international screening, passengers must show their
passports and tickets to prove that they are travelling. But he
didn’t have any of these.

“He claimed that his uncle was already inside with his ticket
and passport. So, a security officer followed him inside. The
officer and the boy (the suspect) looked around and didn’t find
his uncle, and it was discovered that he was telling lies. So,
FAAN security officials handed him over to the DSS.”

Yakubu noted that the AVSEC officials were alert and the level of
consciousness had been increased, “otherwise the boy would
have passed through and would have breached the security
process.”

At the NAIA on Saturday, one of our correspondents observed
that there was heavy security presence.

A bomb detector, the Nigeria Police, the military and some
plain-clothed security men were strategically stationed a few
metres away from the toll gate of the airport.

It was gathered that although security officials had consistently
manned the NAIA since Boko Haram intensified its attacks, the
number of armed officials deployed in the facility in the past two
weeks had been higher than normal.

One of the aviation security personnel at the Abuja airport, who
spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said,
“AVSEC is the official security outfit in charge of security
matters generally at the airports but our strength, security wise,
is limited. That is why since the advent of insurgency and its
threat to the flying public, the Federal Government, in its
wisdom, has continually supported us with officers from the
DSS, the police and the military.

“But we sense that there is something going on or maybe the
security guys are working on intelligence. In the past two
weeks, we’ve noticed that there’s been an increased presence
of armed security men around this airport.

“It is no surprise to hear that the terrorists are spying and trying
to attack. But I can assure you that the security officials on the
ground are doing their best to ensure that this place is safe.”

Also, the Acting Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe
Abubakar, urged Nigerians not to panic, as security agencies
maintained a strong presence in all the vulnerable and key
points within the country.

He said the military and security agencies were always alert at
such vulnerable points, to which the airports belong.

Abubakar added that the security agencies would not take
chances with security, as they had continued to have a strong
presence not only at the airport but at other vulnerable points.
The spokesman added, “We are always at alert at any
vulnerable and key point; our troops are always there. We
cannot take chances with anything that concerns security and
that includes the ones we see and the ones we don’t see.

“We have to be vigilant, and our men are always at the key
points. We will not joke with any security situation. So, it is a
normal thing to have security presence in such places, even
though, based on intelligence, we beef up. Even before such
intelligence, our people are always there.

“People shouldn’t be scared unnecessarily; people should know
that there is a strong security presence in all the vulnerable and
key points.”