The Federal Government has concluded plans to deploy 1,000 body cameras to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja and other major airports across the country, to tackle passengers’ extortion, intimidation, and harassment by security personnel.
The government said that the camera deployment will enhance passengers’ safety, curb harassment and stop security agencies’ misconducts at Nigerian airports.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this to The Guild during an interview on the apex government plans to improve standard of the airports across the country on Wednesday.
Keyamo noted that the security personnel were currently undergoing training on usage of the body cameras, saying we are collaborating with the National Security Advisers, and personnel to give them the best training on using body cameras.
According to him, this cameras will be attached to their uniforms to record incidents as they happen inside the airports.
Keyamo further explained that the body cameras are comparable to Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems but with special key differences that distinguish them from others.
He noted that unlike the CCTV that records footage for playback, the bodycams record and transmit live feeds directly to airport monitoring centers where their engagements with passengers could be monitored
“We are doing some inter-agency cooperation, we are working with the national security advisers to cushion the misconducts across airports in the country. The body cameras have been obtained and training are ongoing” he said.
“The body cameras, are like CCTV cameras, they are not going to be subject to playbacks as they go live on live transmission to a command center built for this purpose” he added.
The aviation minister further revealed that the equipment has been set for distribution to various agencies, including the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigeria Customs Service, to ensure trained officers put them to use.
Pending the deployments of the bodycam, he stated that phone numbers and QR codes have been displayed in strategic positions to assist passengers report erring officials to the aviation management.
Meanwhile, the aviation minister, who stressed the need for professionalism among enforcement personnel, urged them to avoid inappropriate behaviors, including passenger extortion, which tarnishes the country’s image.
“Think of our country’s image before your pockets,” he concluded.
