The federal government has explained the reason for the security checks done by men of customs and immigration on the chartered aircraft of former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alh Atiku Abubakar.
The Atiku Abubakar campaign organisation has raised the alarm that the invasion of the arriving aircraft of Atiku is an attempt by the FG to harass him.
In a press statement signed by the Minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika, the government stated that all arrivals must submit themselves to security agents for checks at the airport.
Sirika added that the only the President and Vice President have the immunity against the security checks at the airports.
“The claim by Atiku Abubakar is a mischievous attempt to grab the headlines. Nigerians need to know that one of the resolutions of the Atiku team at their recently-concluded 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.
“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 Ministers, unless the passenger is the President of Nigeria.
“It is also important to state that even in the Presidential Wing of the airport which the President of Nigeria uses, there is the presence of Immigration and other security officials who must stamp his or her passport on arrival.
“By standard procedure, all aircraft on international arrivals must first of all park at the international wing of the aircraft. They can move to the domestic terminal only upon the completion of the arrival processes.
“These checks are mandatory, conventional, internationally applied and routine. No one is excused from them under our laws. These checks are carried out on all international arrivals and President Buhari does not get involved in them.
“Law-abiding citizens are encouraged to respect the laws of the country and our VIPs should not seek to be treated over and above the citizens they wish to serve”.
