The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has ordered a full-scale investigation into security procedures at Yola Airport after videos surfaced showing Patience Abbo, wife of former Adamawa North Senator, Ishaku Abbo, repeatedly accessing restricted airside areas.
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The probe followed reports and video evidence showing Mrs Abbo entering areas of the airport ordinarily reserved for screened passengers, authorised aviation personnel and other officials with valid clearance.
According to information obtained the minister requested formal explanations from airport security officials after the first report on the incident.
Airport security officials reportedly told the minister that Mrs Abbo informed Aviation Security personnel on duty that she was travelling with her husband and was therefore allowed access beyond the terminal gates.
The Airport Chief of Security was said to have explained that officials only realised she was not a passenger after they observed her returning alone to the terminal building, having escorted her husband to the aircraft steps.
However, a second video later obtained showed Mrs Abbo again accompanying the former senator across the tarmac. In the footage, she was said to be dressed in a brown abaya and wheeling a colourful suitcase to the foot of an aircraft staircase.
The second footage appeared to weaken the claim that the first incident was an isolated misunderstanding and raised concerns that the breach may have been a recurring and tolerated violation of airport access-control procedures.
The development reportedly prompted fresh concern within the ministry and led Keyamo to order a deeper investigation into the circumstances surrounding the repeated access.
The incident has raised questions about passenger verification and compliance with aviation security regulations.
Under Part 17 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, airport aprons and related operational areas are classified as Security Restricted Areas. Access to such areas is limited to authorised personnel and screened passengers with valid travel documents.
Aviation experts questioned why security personnel allegedly relied on a verbal claim rather than verifying Mrs Abbo’s travel status with a boarding pass before allowing her into the restricted area.
Insiders also said the incident reflects a wider “VIP culture” at some domestic airports, where politically exposed persons and their associates are sometimes allowed to bypass security checks, while ordinary passengers are subjected to strict screening.
The ministerial investigation is expected to examine the role of Aviation Security personnel on duty during the incidents and determine whether there was negligence, compromise or deliberate violation of airport security protocols.
The probe is also expected to look into how a videographer was allegedly allowed access to the tarmac to film the departures, another development aviation stakeholders consider a serious breach of operational security.
Speaking previously on airport safety risks, Abubakar Manir, Officer-in-Charge of the Crime, Intelligence and Investigation Unit at FAAN Sokoto, had warned that allowing untrained and non-travelling civilians near operational aircraft could expose them to danger.
According to him, some aircraft have propeller engines and civilians without aviation safety training may not understand the danger of standing too close to such aircraft when engines are running.
Efforts to reach former Senator Abbo for comments on why his wife allegedly accessed restricted airport areas were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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