Three strategic air surveillance facilities belonging to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have been abandoned at its Air Border Patrol Division (ABPD) in Kaduna. The aircraft which had cost the nation about N6billion meant to crackdown on illegal immigrants, were purchased in 2005 by Olusegun Obasanjo administration. Documents made available to LEADERSHIP shows that facilities…
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Three strategic air surveillance facilities belonging to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have been abandoned at its Air Border Patrol Division (ABPD) in Kaduna.
The aircraft which had cost the nation about N6billion meant to crackdown on illegal immigrants, were purchased in 2005 by Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
Documents made available to LEADERSHIP shows that facilities of the aircraft are among the best of its kind but it had not been utilised for the purpose it was purchased.
The aircraft include, Dornier–228 with registration No 5N-AUW valued at $10million (N1.98 billion – at official rate of N197 per $1).
This Dornier-228, according to information had undergone a C of A check in addition to 17000 mandatory inspection in June 2013 and was therefore air worthy when it was dumped for no apparent reason.
The documents obtained also show that there is also Dornier–228 with registration No 5N-AUZ which has also been abandoned.
This Dornier is configured for mission patrol, and is equipped with on-board stabized Long-range Observation System , SLOS, Stabilised Thermal Imaging System (STIS) and its special aerial cameras.
The nation paid another $10million (N1.89 billion) to acquire this in 2005.
Further investigation showed that there is also the Dornier–228 with registration No 5N-AUY which is estimated to have cost the country also $10 million (N1.97 billion).
This plane, according to the documents has been abandoned much longer, its aerial surveillance equipment removed.
A security expert, Uche Ndaguba, CEO, Iron Fist Security Consortium who is conversant with the matter said: “What baffles us as security consultants is that so much money had been spent on training and retraining of its personnel in some of the best institutions in the world handling such services, yet after the facilities were procured, they were successfully used in a relatively peace time, but abandoned at a time their uses are most needed like now”.
“If you have been there, you will see that their pilots, Avionics Engineers, Surveillance System Operators, all kinds of specialised skilled technicians looking dejected.
“It is not the business of the Air Force to carry out surveillance of our borders. They lack the training, the equipment and the ground logistics to do that effectively,” he added.
According to Ndaguba , it is very strange why the NIS and the Ministry of Defence have not been collaborating towards putting the facilities into use.
Findings revealed that the ABPD, aside playing the much-sort-after role of identification of movements of criminals, especially terrorists, spotting oil thieves, tracking of human traffickers through borders, pipeline vandals and camps belonging to outlaws, can also be a money spinner to the NIS, since it can outsource some of its services.
The post N6bn NIS Air Surveillance Aircraft Abandoned In Kaduna appeared first on Nigerian News from Leadership News.