Nigeria mulls air marshals on US-bound flights : minister
ABUJA (AFP)
Nigeria plans to deploy air marshals on all flights to the United States after the foiled attack on a US jetliner by a Nigerian man, the aviation minister said on Wednesday.
“I believe very soon Nigeria will be signing the agreement (with the US) to put air marshals on our flights,” Babatunde Omotoba told reporters.
“They approached us to have an agreement to have air marshals on flights between United States and Nigeria,” said Omotoba.
The US has placed Nigeria on a security watchlist after a Christmas day attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down a Northwest Airlines jet flying from Amsterdam to Detroit using explosives sewn to his underpants.
Screening of passengers flying from or through Nigeria has been tightened while the country is buying 3-D full body scanners for its main international airports.
Deployment of “air marshals is something that has been practiced by the US for a very long time,” the minister said, adding Nigeria will also ask the US to train its marshals.
Junior Information Minister Ikra Bilbis said the cabinet had on Wednesday approved the purchase of 10 full body scanners from Britain for three million dollars.
These will be installed at the international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano within 10 weeks.