A Nigerian Navy officer, Adam Muhammad Yerima, has been accused of breaching aviation security protocols after allegedly bypassing mandatory passenger screening and attempting to board a commercial flight with a firearm at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
According to SaharaReporters, the officer, a lieutenant, accessed the boarding terminal through the military wing of the airport, thereby avoiding standard civilian security screening procedures, before attempting to board a ValueJet Airlines flight.
Sources said the officer was armed with a pistol, an item prohibited for passengers on commercial flights under regulations of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), unless properly declared and handled through approved security channels.
Multiple aviation sources familiar with the incident said airline security officials detected the breach and stopped the officer from boarding the aircraft with the weapon.
The officials reportedly insisted that he comply with civil aviation rules applicable to all passengers, including uniformed personnel travelling on commercial flights.
After initial resistance, the officer was said to have submitted to screening and firearm declaration procedures and was later allowed to board the flight.
However, the matter reportedly escalated after the incident.
Sources disclosed that the Nigerian military subsequently wrote an official letter to ValueJet Airlines, accusing the airline of disrespecting military personnel and demanding a formal apology for stopping the officer from boarding with his firearm.
According to insiders, Lieutenant Yerima completely bypassed designated civilian checkpoints by entering the terminal through the restricted military wing, a move said to be in violation of aviation safety rules.
Under existing regulations, all passengers -regardless of status – must undergo screening, and firearms must be formally declared and processed under strict security protocols.
Industry insiders said the incident reflects a broader pattern at major Nigerian airports, where some military personnel allegedly refuse to submit to standard boarding procedures.
A senior ValueJet official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SaharaReporters that airline staff are frequently intimidated when they insist on compliance.
“This is a recurring issue. Some military personnel refuse to follow boarding protocols and sometimes threaten airline officials when asked to comply,” the source said.
The official added that airlines are not entirely blameless, admitting that some carriers occasionally facilitate such breaches to avoid confrontation.
“They send protocol officers to collect boarding passes and move straight from the military wing to the aircraft, bypassing all checks,” the source said.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has also come under criticism for allegedly failing to address repeated complaints about such security breaches.
Sources said reports submitted to FAAN over similar incidents often go unanswered, with the authority accused of siding with military officers rather than enforcing aviation safety regulations.
In a recent incident at Port Harcourt International Airport, airline staff reportedly reported military personnel for violating boarding protocols, but FAAN allegedly reprimanded the airline instead, while the officers faced no sanctions.
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