The Federal Government on Sunday said
illegal consignments and cash in local and foreign currencies were being
smuggled on daily basis in and out of the country aboard private jets. It also said some persons that
securities agencies had declared wanted were being airlifted out of the
country aboard private and chartered jets.
As a result, it insisted that pilots flying such jets must declare the passenger manifest before being allowed to take off.
An aircraft manifest contains the names of all persons aboard the plane, among other things. The Coordinating Information and
Communications Manager for aviation parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati, told
reporters in Lagos on Sunday that the order for the declaration of
passenger manifest was necessary to check the abuse of the use of
private and chartered jets.
He said for security reasons, especially
the need to arrest those who had constituted security threats to the
country, the government would not renege on its decision for pilots of
private jets to file their manifests before being given Air Traffic
Control clearance.
Dati said security operatives had disclosed that many wanted persons were being smuggled out of the country with private jets. He also stated that some wanted persons
were being sneaked into the country without appropriate checks as many
private jets take off from private facilities at airports.
Dati spoke on the heels of the criticism
that have trailed the introduction of some new policy measures for the
private jet sub-sector in the country.
The government had through the National
Civil Aviation Policy, 2013 unveiled two weeks ago directed pilots of
private jets to file their manifests before obtaining ATC clearance. It also said foreign registered private
jets could only spend 15 days in the country, just as the policy also
barred private jet owners from carrying friends and business associates.
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