Passengers, airport workers among others were on Saturday caught unawares at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, following the Airport Emergency Response Plan with a bomb simulation exercise carried out at the airport.
The mock emergency exercise, carried out by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other relevant agencies, was to measure the airport’s readiness to respond to emergency in the event of any bomb explosion.
FAAN had earlier appealed to passengers and other airport users not to panic as adequate arrangements had been put in place to ensure safe environment through the duration of the exercise.
The agency had also assured passengers that there would be no disruption of flight operations as a result of the exercise.
But some passengers unaware of the mock exercise ran helter skelter on the fear that the airport was under attack.
An airport staff, a traffic controller, told DAILY POST Sunday morning that although insiders knew about the exercise, they were warned not to inform passengers.
“We were warned against telling anyone of the exercise. It was meant to catch everyone unawares so that we can have an idea of what to expect in case of any eventuality.
Describing the atmosphere when the alarm sounded, the staff said “It was a near stampede. In fact some nearly fainted”.
FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Yakubu Dati, who described the exercise as successful, added that the drill was in compliance of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements for certification.
“The authority has successfully conducted a Bomb Simulated Exercise slated for Saturday morning, February 28, 2015”, he said.
Dati further explained that the drill was intended to test the airport’s response procedures in the event of real bomb explosion at the terminal building.
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