National Coordinator, the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Major General Adamu Laka, has emphasized the importance of collaboration among all Stakeholders as Nigeria looks to tackle terrorism and the like in the aviation sector.
General Laka stated this Monday, in his remarks at the opening ceremony of a 3-day Counter Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) Workshop in Abuja.
He said, ” No Agency can solely achieve laudable success in the fight against terrorism; it once again emphasizes the need for us to work together, identifying our crucial roles and collaborating 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 recognizes no borders.”
The NCTC Boss decried the negative impact of terrorism around the world, especially the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by terrorists.
He noted that this can only be curtailed through collaboration by aviation security stakeholders.
“There is no doubt that terrorism has profound negative impact on the nation, our fellow citizens as well as international partners.
“Globally, the carnage unleashed by terrorists has led to devastating loss of lives and property. More recently, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by terrorists and other criminal elements to disrupt the Country’s socio-economic activities is of serious concern and must be adequately tackled through continuous collaboration by aviation security stakeholders,” he said.
He said it’s against this background that the Centre hosted the Aviation Threats & Counter Drones Workshop in November 2023 which had facilitators, resource persons and participants drawn locally and internationally from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
He noted that this particular workshop should be seen as a re-awakening for collaborative efforts which must be embraced by all, saying that, ” 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. ”
In his remarks, the Aviation Security Assistance Officer for the Department of Transport at the UK British High Commission, Jonathan Kendall, said, the aim of the workshop was to mitigate threats in the aviation sector beyond parameter fence of the airport.
“So we’re looking to mitigate what we call a standoff threat here. So you can secure the terminal building as much as you like. But this counter manpads, man portable air defence systems workshop looks at countering the wider threat beyond the perimeter fence.
“So on takeoff and landing, aircrafts are vulnerable to these shoulder launched missiles, which can impact an aircraft up to 30,000ft. So that’s the threat that we’re looking at,” he said.
He added that the workshop would also build capacity of Nigeria to counter these threats.
“Countering these threats, we are also looking to further develop the Nigerian capability in this area, particularly in the area of vulnerability mapping.
“So I would 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,” the NCTC Boss explained.
The workshop, organized by the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser in collaboration with the UK Department for Transport Aviation Security has participants from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) among others.
