BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has moved to calm public anxiety over the recent security scare at Akure Airport, insisting the facility was never the intended target of the intrusion.
Speaking during an interview on Frontline, a public affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, the minister said the incident has been widely misunderstood, stressing that what occurred was a spillover from an external security situation rather than a direct threat to aviation operations.
His clarification follows conflicting accounts surrounding the incident. While the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) initially reported that four suspected bandits were arrested near the airport, the Nigeria Police Force in Ondo State countered that no such arrests took place within the facility.
Police spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh said only two suspected logistics suppliers linked to kidnappers were apprehended along the Eleyewo and Ilu-Abo axis.
Keyamo acknowledged the discrepancies but attributed them to communication gaps common in large bureaucratic systems rather than deliberate misinformation.
“Okay, there are two angles to this. The first is the conflicting statements and the second of why they will gain access in the first place. Of course, the first one, the conflicting statements, you know, when people sit down in Lagos and Abuja and rely on information of their lieutenants on the ground, sometimes, not all the time, sometimes you are bound to have them such discrepancies because you are not physically there,” he said.
He maintained that all available accounts point to one conclusion: the airport itself was not under attack.
“The airport was not a target. Let us be very clear about this. In all the accounts, the airport was never a target… Passengers were not a target,” he stressed, explaining that the individuals involved were likely fleeing a separate security situation and gained access through a vulnerable section of the airport’s perimeter.
According to the minister, the breach was made possible by a dilapidated portion of the airport fence, highlighting broader infrastructure challenges across the country’s aviation network.
“It’s just that there was a porous part of our fence at the back of Akure airport… These are some of the infrastructure we’re trying to rebuild, and it takes a lot of money and time,” he said, adding that efforts are underway to secure funding for critical upgrades.
He disclosed that a full-scale investigation has been ordered, with aviation security units working alongside law enforcement to reconcile conflicting reports and establish a definitive account of events.
“I’ve told my AVSEC people… to link up with the police, compare notes and come out with the true situation and I’m waiting for that,” Keyamo said, noting that disciplinary measures would follow if lapses are identified.
The minister also pointed to systemic delays in government reporting structures as a contributing factor to the confusion, contrasting it with the speed of communication in the private sector.
“But in a bureaucratic sector, it will go zigzag… everyone will make their comment… before it comes back,” he said.
Despite the incident, Keyamo reassured Nigerians that aviation safety remains intact, emphasizing that the episode does not signal any breakdown in the country’s airport security architecture.
“I just want to assure the public, the underlying issue is that the airport was not a target. Passengers were not a target of that invasion,” he reiterated.
He added that lessons from the incident would accelerate ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening perimeter security, improving surveillance, and ensuring faster, more coordinated responses to emerging threats across Nigeria’s airports.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
