FAAN introduces cutting-edge scanners at Nigerian airports, beginning in Lagos, to replace manual luggage checks. This aims to tackle touting and speed up passenger processing
FAAN is installing advanced scanners at Nigerian airports, starting with Lagos, to eliminate manual luggage checks, combat touting, and expedite passenger flow, promising a more efficient experience.
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In a decisive move to eradicate touting, extortion, and unnecessary delays caused by multiple manual checks at Nigerian airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has commenced the procurement and installation of sophisticated baggage scanning machines.
This initiative aims to replace the current system of physical luggage inspections, particularly at customs checkpoints.
FAAN revealed this development over the weekend during an airport tour where newly installed machines were showcased to reporters.
The Director of Aviation Security at FAAN, Igbafe Afegbai, stated unequivocally that the customs tables where travellers’ bags are currently subjected to manual scrutiny will be dismantled within the next week.
Both industry stakeholders and passengers have frequently voiced their concerns regarding the customs checkpoint within the Murtala Muhammed International Airport terminal.
Stakeholders have criticised the operational activities of customs within the terminal, while travellers have often described it as a hotbed for extortion.
Recent tensions between Customs officers and FAAN security personnel, along with other senior officials, over perceived overlaps in duties further underscored the need for a streamlined system.
This friction even led aviation workers to threaten a nationwide strike, initially scheduled for March 31, 2025.
The persistent complaints and feedback from passengers appear to have spurred FAAN into deploying these advanced machines, which are currently being installed at screening points within Lagos International Airport. The ultimate goal is the complete elimination of manual searches.
The newly acquired technology includes six Orion 927DX scanners, a full-body scanner, and an itemiser. These machines boast the capability to display images in both Classic 4-colour and a new proprietary Spectrum 4-colour option.
This provides significantly clearer images, facilitating improved security through the rapid and accurate identification of potential threats, while simultaneously increasing passenger throughput.
Mr Afegbai explained that these state-of-the-art machines are also designed to detect a broad spectrum of explosives and narcotics in real-time during the scanning process, with any potential threat being clearly marked on the X-ray image.
Speaking to journalists, Mr Afegbai emphasised that once the installation of all screening machines and monitors is complete, each security agent will have their own dedicated monitor, and the tables used for physical human checks will become obsolete.
“The tables you see will be a thing of history; you will not see any table here. There will be no physical contact because what we are also doing is that when we fix those monitors and the machines dictate unaccepted objects, the concerned officials will take the passenger and his or her luggage to designated areas for physical checks,” Mr Afegbai stated.
He further elaborated that these designated areas will be equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure transparency and prevent exploitation of passengers.
When the machines identify a suspicious item, aviation security personnel will alert the relevant agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Customs, and quarantine services, for follow-up action.
FAAN will also extend the system to include six separate monitors for the six different agencies operating at the airport, allowing their officials to monitor luggage as it passes through the scanners from their own workstations. “Customs will have their screen. The quarantine will have their screen, and others will also have theirs. So, everybody will sit down while luggage goes through the machines,” Mr Afegbai added.
He highlighted the enhanced detection capabilities of the new machines, noting, “Before we bought the new machines, our machines were not detecting some drugs, but with the new machines, we will start to train some of the security agencies, like the NDLEA, the DSS, the immigration, and the quarantine.”
Corroborating the FAAN security chief, the head of the ICT department at the airport, Chima Oge, explained that the new Orion 927DX machine possesses features that aid in the accurate and rapid identification of organic materials.
This can be done in range mode, which highlights areas based on the operator’s selection, or in interactive mode, which allows the operator to display areas based on pixel value. He also confirmed the machine’s ability to detect undeclared funds, drugs, and other illicit materials.
