Travel News

Ryanair is to resume flights from Belfast International Airport.

Last year the Irish low-cost airline announced it was pulling out of the airport, citing concerns over air passenger duty (APD).

But it has now announced 12 new routes from the hub next summer, operating 115 flights per week

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The routes include Alicante, Faro, Barcelona Girona, Milan Bergamo and Malaga as well as domestic services to East Midlands, Edinburgh, London Stansted and Manchester.

Ryanair’s Belfast-based fleet will comprise of two aircraft and create 60 aviation jobs at Belfast International as well as a number of indirect roles.

Ryanair’s director of commercial, Jason McGuinness, said: “At a time when other airlines are cutting their schedules and reducing their workforce, we are delighted to announce a new Ryanair base at Belfast International Airport with 12 exciting routes.

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“We are delighted to have reached a long-term agreement with Belfast International’s management, which will underpin future Ryanair growth at the airport over the coming years.

“Today’s announcement, particularly our decision to launch close to 80 weekly domestic flights to/from East Midlands, Edinburgh, London Stansted and Manchester, demonstrates that lower aviation taxes and competitive airport charges are the catalyst for long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity.”

Mr McGuinness added that concerns over APD remain.

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“To enable additional investment from Ryanair (and other airlines) from next summer onwards, the UK Government must immediately scrap aviation taxes for all flights, otherwise it will put the UK at risk of losing air traffic to competing European countries,” he said.

Belfast International Airport’s chief financial officer, Dan Owens, said: “This is a significant investment, bringing job creation and positive news for our passengers and the region.

“It increases the number of destinations now available from the airport to over 70 domestic and international destinations, offering more choice than ever for travellers.”

Meanwhile, George Best Belfast City Airport has announced new services to Cardiff and Southampton with Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Emerald Airlines.

Michelle Hatfield, Corporate Services Director at Belfast City Airport, said: “As one of the largest airline partners at Belfast City Airport, the addition of more Aer Lingus Regional services is fantastic for both business and leisure passengers wishing to travel to the UK.

“Passengers have been asking for further connections to Cardiff and Southampton and we are thrilled that we have been able to deliver in time for the busy summer period.”

Ciaran Smith, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines said: “We are delighted to commence our Cardiff and Southampton services from Belfast, providing those travelling from Belfast with more choice when planning their holidays.”

Nigerians aiming to access visas to the Republic of Turkey may now have it rougher or their hope dashed as the country has reportedly removed the nationals of the most populous black nation from accessing the e-visa provisions but have instead been advised to apply via any Turkish Consulate.

According to Leadership reports, prospective applicants were shocked by the sudden development as they were not given any prior notice on it from the Turkish Mission in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, it is being suspected by some that the decision of the Turkish authorities must have been informed by the incessant terrorist attacks being witnessed and reported in Nigeria.

This is also on the heel of the high-security alert that greeted the attacks on the Custodial Centre in Abuja on Tuesday, where some terrorist elements were among those released from the centre.

A victim of the visa ban development is quoted in a message: “Just putting this out there. Someone out there with a Schengen /UK/US visa might be booking a ticket to Turkey right now thinking they will apply for a visa electronically. DO NOT. Turkey decided to delist Nigerians from the e-visa list yesterday evening. With no prior warning/ communication. They clearly don’t rate us. Anyway, all Nigerians have to apply via the consulate wherever they are.

“Turns out so many people are/were planning to go to Turkey soon. Honestly, just apply through the consulate. There is still no information online. No press release, nothing! They are disrespectful. An agent told me she applied on behalf of someone yesterday and within the space of 5 minutes the message on the site had changed. Apparently, it has something to do with the “prison break”/ concerns of terrorism.

“Unfortunately, nationals of the country that you selected are not eligible for e-visa. Kindly visit the nearest Turkish mission to apply for a visa application. Please visit http:www.visa.gov.tr for the full list of the Turkish Embassies and Consulates,” the message said.

Another Nigerian whose application was apparently rejected and his payment refunded posted a message he allegedly received from the Turkish authorities. The message read: “We regret to inform you that we are unable to process your application this time. Please refer to the Government website where you will be able to apply for your electronic travel documents as there will be some additional information you will be required to enter.

“The total cost of your application (158 Dollars) has been refunded in compliance with our Refund Policy As your application cannot be processed.

The total amount has been refunded directly to the same method of payment used to hire your professional services. No further action on your part is required at this point.

“Depending on your bank you will receive the refund between 1 and 10 business days. In the unlikely event that you have not received the refund after this time frame, you may contact us for assistance by replying to this mail.”

Some members of the diplomatic community such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have warned their citizens again.

By  Abdullateef Aliyu

Nigeria’s leading airline, Air Peace, has concluded plans to extend its wings to Guangzhou, China, and Mumbai, India, with scheduled flight operations this month.

The airline has also disclosed that Israel will soon join its international network.

Spokesperson of Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, said the airline will be launching its initial one weekly flight to China on July 13, 2022.

This would be followed by two weekly flights to India also before the end of July, with the hope to increase the frequencies when operations garner momentum.  

Olisa stated that these new destinations were a further testimony to the airline’s determination to connect Nigerians seamlessly to other parts of the world and deepen socio-economic ties between Nigeria and both countries. 

He stressed that Air Peace’s entry into both countries would strengthen their bilateral ties, adding that China and India are not new terrains for the airline.

He said, “Guangzhou and Mumbai are not new terrains for Air Peace as we have operated a number of special/evacuation flights into both cities in the past. So, we are very familiar with the airspace and plans to launch Tel Aviv, Israel, are in top gear. This is also not a new space for us as you know; we have operated flights to and from the country. 

The airline further stated that it would continue to provide peaceful and strategic network connections, in line with its no-city-left-behind mantra, which the airline is aggressively implementing.

 He added that the airline also has in the works two other African destinations – Malabo in Equatorial Guinea and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 It would be recalled that in March 2022, Air Peace launched its Niamey route, and a few months before then, it flagged off Douala operations from Lagos and PH. 

By Abdullateef Aliyu

The Ogun State government yesterday said the state-owned Gateway Agro-cargo airport will begin operations at the end of 2022.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Abdulwaheed Odusile, who disclosed this while briefing aviation journalists at the site of the airport said the airport would be an international one in all ramifications.

Daily Trust reports that the airport project was conceived under the administration of Governor Gbenga Daniel but now being implemented by the Dapo Abiodun administration.

The airport located in Iperu community in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state is sited on 5000 hectares of land and has a 4-kilometre runway which is almost completed.

In addition, the control tower for the air traffic control system is a five-storey building.

The commissioner who was joined by the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, as well as officials of the contractor, Craneburg Construction, said the three major components of the airport comprising the runway, fire station and control tower are on the verge of completion.

Odusile said, “By the grace of God, aircraft will take off and this airport will be the fastest constructed one in Nigeria and maybe Africa.”

He said the airport will be an international testing centre for goods ready to be exported and this will eliminate issues of produce not being up to standard after leaving the shores of the country.

The commissioner also stated that agencies like the Nigerian Air force, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), among others are already showing interest in the airport.

 He added that the uniqueness of the airport is its accessibility as there are six locations to come in from such as Lagos, Ibadan, Ijebu Ode, Shagamu, among others.

He disclosed that the runway is about 90 percent completed, adding, “The runway has about four layers with different classes of MM. The layer is about 65mm of asphalt, the second layer is about 50mm of asphalt and the next is about 100mm of asphalt.

“This airport can be compared to Morocco and Paris; it’s a class E airport which will be attracting a lot of private investors to come and develop it, but we will be providing the basic facilities.”

The Nigerian-Turkey Business Council Chairman, Dele Oye esq, has assured Nigerians that the challenge of accessing electronic visa on arrival to Turkey was not peculiar to Nigerians alone but to all African countries, assuring that measures have been put in place to resolve the impasse.

The council however cautioned that anyone who has no urgent need to travel should reschedule for a future date.

The statement he personally signed on Friday reads in parts: “We wish to bring to the attention of the Members of the Nigeria-Türkiye Business Council of the difficulties in accessing the Republic of Türkiye E-visa/ Visa on arrival platforms by Nigerians (and also in all other African Countries), due to temporary technical challenges.

“Kindly be rest assured that all measures have been put in place to resolve this issue.

“For those who have no urgent reasons to travel to the Republic of Türkiye, kindly avoid applying for visas directly to the Republic of Turkey to avoid unnecessary delays.”

This disclosure puts to rest rumors that Nigeria was suspended because of the rise in terrorism especially the recent prison break in Abuja.

Pieces of luggage to and from the bellies of Qantas planes each day at the Sydney domestic airport, “these days there are about 10 barrows each day that just don’t make it on”.

They said that during recent school holiday peaks office managers from Qantas and Swissport had rolled up their sleeves and helped move luggage alongside handlers, however “there’s just still not enough of us there to get to all the bags”.

In recent months, Swissport has contracted labour hire firms Star Aviation and Workfast – the latter of which is not aviation-specific – to fill the shortages in its teams working on Qantas and Jetstar operations. Training and processes differ depending on the airline, with the type of aircraft dictating how luggage is loaded.

The Swissport worker who spoke to the Guardian said about 25% of his colleagues each day were from labour hire firms, many of which do not have specific training. As a result, he said some were cutting corners or doing less thorough work.

“A lot of us get frustrated with them because they don’t do basic stuff properly. Sometimes they just move but don’t scan bags, which is a necessity, because it can mean we don’t know weight distribution in a plane or if a bag has arrived.

“They’ve also been dropping transfer bags on arrival carousels, which is a reason why bags aren’t making it onto flights with passengers,” they said.

The worker said staff attrition was becoming a bigger problem as the airport environment became busier and more demanding, and said many of those who joined Swissport when he did, as well as in subsequent months, had left for jobs either in different industries as well as with other airlines and aviation businesses at Sydney airport that pay more than Swissport does.

They said that while staff were not complaining about the temporary $50 a day bonus for turning up to work, they were still frustrated at conditions. “Swissport is offering anything except permanent wage increases.”

Additionally, in jobs Swissport is advertising in cities such as Brisbane, the company is stipulating new employees spend their first month at Sydney airport – billed as a “great opportunity to experience Sydney” – where it is also paying for their hotel accommodation.

At a recent jobs fair at Sydney airport, Swissport was hiring part-time contracts, but offering workers full-time hours under these contracts, at $23.41 an hour.

The worker said recent coverage of Qantas’s big spends on new ultra-long-haul aircraft for direct flights to Europe had angered tired workers, and Swissport employees were increasingly talking about union organising. “I can’t tell you how frustrating it is seeing Alan Joyce on TVs where we work showing off these shiny new flights.”

The worker also raised concern that during a busy shift recently, when a colleague injured themselves, both the supervisor and manager were busy helping out with other activities, and with no on-site health and safety representative, there was no one to report the injury to.

“I would tell everyone, don’t check in bags when you fly with Qantas right now, or even better if you can avoid it, don’t fly Qantas at all,” the worker said.

Staff shortages and attrition was an increasing problem for ground handler providers and the airlines that rely on them. One industry source told Guardian Australia that in recent weeks, one company started 20 new employees at 9am on a Monday at one Australian airport. By 4pm that day, eight of them had quit, and by the Friday of that week, just seven of the 20 employees remained.

“The young people coming into these roles, they’re getting yelled at, they’re getting paid poorly, and now they’re saying ‘you know what, bugger this, I’m going to work in a cafe because I get paid as much or more than I do here and don’t have the stress’.”

“And those who got sacked during the pandemic are saying they don’t want to go back to the industry that shut on them overnight. So we’ve got this huge void of experience,” the source said.

The Transport Workers Union has long been critical of Qantas’s outsourcing decision, successfully challenging it in the federal court. The TWU’s national secretary, Michael Kaine, said Swissport had “no choice but to keep wages low because Qantas’s squeeze on contracts is neither sustainable nor safe”.

“It is no surprise that Swissport can’t recruit or retain staff. Swissport would rather pay workers an extra $50 a day to show up for work, bring in interstate workers and outsource to companies like Star Aviation than pay proper wages.”

A Qantas spokesperson told the Guardian “resourcing continues to be a challenge for the entire aviation industry” and its ground handling suppliers had “improved significantly since the holiday peak in April”.

“While there’s still a lot more to be done to improve our operational performance, the rate of mishandled baggage has improved in recent months,” the spokesperson said.

A Swissport spokesperson said the company had worked with Qantas to varying degrees for decades because “the scale of our operations means that we can deliver a cost-effective service that is safe and reliable”.

“The rapid rebound in travel demand has put pressure on resourcing across the entire aviation sector, both here in Australia and around the world.”

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Flight operations in Nigeria have become precarious as airlines face abrupt disruption of flights due to scarcity and high prices of aviation fuel, which may impair profitability, writes Chinedu Eze 

After series of lamentation and protests against spiraling increase in the price of aviation fuel since February 2022, when the price of the product jumped from N180 per litre to N400 per litre till currently when it hovers around N700 per litre, Nigerian airlines have struggled to maintain flight operations despite the odds.

But theirs is a precarious existence with lurking fear that the price of the product might soar beyond their affordability, as it has been projected that without any intervention, it could rise to N1000 per liter in due time, and they would be forced to ground their operations. 

The airlines have acknowledged that the current price of aviation fuel is not sustainable because airlines are not making profits in their operation, so it is just a matter of time that some of them would begin to shut down, after they have exhausted all the creative ways to maintain safe flight service.

Control

There are indications that the federal government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the airlines are in a quagmire when it comes to the supply of petroleum products. Nigeria, a major oil producer is not refining crude oil, the refineries have been in comatose for years and government has woefully failed to rehabilitate them. So Nigeria, which is oil producer, is importer of refined product.

Since the war between Russia and Ukraine, the price of crude has increased due to limited supply and high demand. Nigeria could not meet its quota of supply due to the fact that it is not producing enough for the international market and in the miasma of crude supply and refined fuel import; Nigeria has lost out because it is not enjoying any advantage in the matrix of crude export and fuel import and therefore has lost the control of the price of refined product, which is now determined by international crude oil price and market demand, as the product is deregulated.

NBS Report 

Recently the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed that Nigeria spent N292.56 billion in the importation of aviation fuel in the first three months of the year – January to March 2022.

NBS in its Foreign Trade Statistics Report for First Quarter of 2022, aviation fuel, referred to as ‘kerosine type jet fuel’ accounted for 4.96 per cent of Nigeria’s total import of N5.9 trillion, with the commodity ranking the second most imported commodity in the country in the first quarter.

According to the NBS report, aviation fuel import in the first quarter of 2022 represented a significant increase of 287.29 per cent compared to the N75.54 billion spent on its import in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, the NBS disclosed that jet fuel import was the sixth most imported commodity, accounting for 1.27 per cent of the period’s total import figure of N5.94 trillion.

In the first quarter of 2021, there was no mention of jet fuel import in the foreign trade statistics of the NBS, despite the country recording total imports of N6.85 trillion for the period.

Furthermore, the NBS reported that the most notable import item in the period was Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, which gulped N1.67 trillion of Nigeria’s import bill.

The first quarter 2022, fuel import figure, according to the NBS, represented an increase of 15.97 per cent and 142.73 per cent when compared to N1.44 trillion and N687.74 billion spent on the import of the same commodity in the fourth quarter of 2021 and first quarter of 2021, respectively.

The NBS said: “The value of total imports in first quarter 2022 stood at N5.90 trillion, this decreased by 0.67 per cent when compared with the value recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021 (N5.94 trillion); but increased by 21.04 per cent compared to the value recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2021, which is N4.875 trillion.

“In terms of Imports, in the first quarter of 2022, China, The Netherlands, Belgium, India and the United States were the top five countries of origin of imports to Nigeria. The values of imports from the top five countries amounted to N3.44 trillion representing a share of 58.34 per cent of the total value of imports. The commodity groups with the largest values among the top imported products were ‘Motor Spirit ordinary’ – N1.507 trillion), ‘Kerosene type jet fuel’ – N292.56 billion, and ‘Durum wheat (not in seeds)’ – N258.31 billion.”

Sustaining Operation

One of the major challenges faced by airlines is that the price of the key component of their operation, aviation fuel, is not steady, leading to increases on hourly basis, which could make the product to become scarce at any time, if not all over the country but at some airports, since the prices change from one state to another.

Head of Communication of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, told THISDAY that airlines are facing a serious challenge in their efforts to sustain their flight service and meet the demand of their customers and at the same time ensure they operate safely in tandem with international standard and recommended practices.

Ezenwa said the unpredictability of the price of aviation fuel, which could change at any time, makes it impossible for airlines to plan long-term. In order to cut cost, airlines have to review the profitability of the routes they operate, the load factor and the cost of operating to that destination. So airlines are in constant review of their schedule to ensure that every opportunity is maximised.

THISDAY also learnt that airlines have to do away with operating routes that cannot guarantee high load factor; so flights are stopped to certain destinations and airlines have to shrink their services to reduce their cost of operation.

“So what airlines are doing is that any route that is not yielding the expected result in terms of profitability they don’t fly. So airlines have to do their analysis well. The days that they don’t have good load they don’t operate on those days. 

“Every week we do analysis and work at the possibilities. You look at the routes that can guarantee you high passenger load. But for us, our load factor has been good. We have built goodwill and consistency that make us a very reliable airline. We plan well so we have not had the cause to readjust our flight schedule,” Ezenwa said.

He however lamented that whatever the airline earns, high cost of fuel takes it away and you can’t make projection for tomorrow because you cannot tell what the cost would be. The price of aviation fuel can increase at any time.

“There is no reason for planning; there is no stability, so you plan with what you see on daily basis. You can’t really plan well under this system. But as it is now we are still hoping that government would step in and save the airlines; because if things continue like this some airlines will be forced to close shop. You look at your business model and review your operations. There is a limit airlines can endure. It is true that airlines don’t want to downsize, but if things continue to be difficult, downsizing will become inevitable,” he said.

Reviewing Cost

The Managing Director of Flights and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan, told THISDAY that aviation fuel has become the highest component cost of flight operation and airlines wont have any other choice than to pass the high cost to the consumers.

He said that the consequence would be that people would travel only when they must and there would be more virtual engagements than physical meetings in the business circles, as virtual interface continues to increase since after the COVID-19 lockdown.

“You can only travel when you have to, when it is compulsory. So the high cost of aviation fuel has reduced the number of people that travel by air and has increased virtual meetings. The most reliable fight is first flight of any airline. Airlines don’t have a choice but to keep their aircraft in the air. Aircraft is serviceable equipment; so you have to find a way to use it and in terms of cost, airlines are not making profit now. They are just keeping afloat. What is good for Air Peace is that it is operating international destinations. Regional destination is not profitable. It is costlier for Nigerian airline to operate regional than to operate domestic service,” Akpan said.

He added that in order to adjust to the new reality of cost of operation, airlines have to do a lot to sustain their service and this include to reduce the number of flights; that is, their capacity they are offering to travellers, reducing services on board like offering refreshments, noting that some airlines have stopped offering that. The final action, he said, would be retrenchment.

“Staff retrenchment is always the last because the danger of reducing staff is because airline business is a technical job that deals with skilled personnel, marshallers, engineers, pilots; except the service you are rendering gets so lean you trim the personnel to fit the service. But all these will happen if the price of aviation fuel continues to increase. But after cutting staff, you should be ready for extinction,” he said.

Price Determinants

THISDAY spoke to the Managing Director of CleanServe Energy Limited, Chris Ndulue, who expressed the fear that the price of the product would continue to soar, as long as there is increase in the price of crude in the international market and Nigeria is still importing the product.

“Marketers are spending more money importing refined fuel products and as long as there is demand of aviation fuel, they will continue to import but the price may rise to N1000 per litre or even more. This is affecting airlines but as long as airlines are operating there will be demand of the product but what the airlines will do is to scale down their operations and, of course, they will pass the prices to their customers,” Ndulue who is former Managing Director of Arik Air, said.

He explained that the solution to the high price of aviation fuel would be local refining, which would take time before it would be realised, noting that the price of crude is high, the exchange rate is high in addition to other logistics, including shipping cost and disruptions.

“Those importing these products are not making huge profits. The prices are high and they continue to change. The landing cost presently is over N600 per litre. The price may eventually rice to N1000; but if landing cost could be lower; if the importer could get dollars at official CBN rate, the cost could come down,” Ndulue told THISDAY.

This weekend aviation fuel sold for N725 in Lagos, N740 in Abuja and N745 in Kano and there are indications that these prices could increase at very short notice.

THISDAY learnt that airlines are finding it very difficult to continue to operate with the high cost of aviation fuel, as their fares could not be inelastic, noting that it is coming to a stage whereby travellers might stop coming to the airports, except those on government and company expense.

“The number of people travelling continues to reduce as the price increases and I just learnt that some airlines are considering grounding their fleet until the price of aviation fuels begins to come down. But that is another way of saying they would stop operating because it is difficult to stop and then start again within a short interlude,” industry insider told THISDAY.

With the latest report that the cost of crude in the international market has reduced by $12, there could be hope that the cost of refined product could also come down. That will be great relief to airlines and air travellers in Nigeria.

THE Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has commended the various intervention programmes being implemented by the Bank of Industry to support the growth and development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector.

A statement said Osinbajo who made the commendation at the 5th National MSME Awards Dinner in Abuja, also praised the efforts of the Bank of Agriculture, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Standards Organization of Nigeria among others in promoting the growth of MSMEs.

The National MSME Awards was introduced in 2018 by the Vice President to complement the activities of the National MSME Clinics, encourage and reward outstanding MSMEs doing business in Nigeria.

It stated that the 2022 edition of the awards was the fifth in the series and held on the 2022 World MSME Day as declared by the United Nations, with entries of 14,020 from businesses across the country.

Speaking at the event, the Vice President said that the relentless drive, energy and creativity of young Nigerians are the guarantee that the country will prosper and provide jobs and opportunities for the millions of youths coming into the job market yearly.

Praising the steadfastness and contributions of young entrepreneurs who won prizes at the event, the Vice President said, “These MSMEs tell the story of our country’s great economic future.

Oil marketers and depot owners have clashed over allegations of diversion of 16.6 billion litres of fuel to neighbouring countries.

A top official of the Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, who craved anonymity, told The PUNCH that the unabated fuel scarcity was partly due to the diversion of products to neighbouring countries by marketers.

According to the source, about 46 million litres of petrol is being diverted daily.

This means about 16.6 billion litres is allegedly being diverted annually.

Findings showed that Nigeria consumes 60 million litres of petrol daily.

“We had a meeting with the PPMC some weeks ago, and part of the complaints was that the volume we load is too high, forcing them to reduce the volume they give to us. From their records, they said marketers loaded 106 million litres per day as of April. Nigeria consumes 60 million litres per day, where are the remaining litres of fuel going? They are taken outside the country. That’s a product Nigeria is paying heavily to subsidise, and marketers are busy taking it out and denying Nigerians full benefits of what they pay for,” our source said.

The diversion allegation came on the heels of the return of long queues at filling stations across the country.

The PUNCH on Wednesday found that petrol was sold above N175 per litre, and as of Thursday, the price had increased to N180 per litre.

The Managing Director/CEO – 11plc formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, and former chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Tunji Oyebanji, told The PUNCH that members of the association were opposed to smuggling.

“Our members are law-abiding and can never engage in such activity. Our members own 33, 000 stations in the country, and we move about 50-60 per cent of products available for consumption. So, we are opposed to smuggling because it causes a huge problem for the country,” he said.

The Executive Secretary, MOMAN, Clement Isong, told The PUNCH that its members operate a fully integrated business model, adding that it would be impossible to smuggle products out of the country.

“They know who they are accusing, and it’s definitely not our members. We buy products from the NNPC to our depots, and then distribute them to our stations. So, they can’t be accusing major oil marketers of diversion because we run a fully integrated business model”, he said.

“If it is true, then, it takes two to tango”, National Operations Controller, The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi told The PUNCH when asked to react to the allegation.

Osatuyi denied the claim that IPMAN members were responsible for the smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring countries.

“They should go and ask the Customs, police, NIA and others whether they see our members’ trucks carrying such products across the borders. Why are they accusing marketers of smuggling when we have those who are being paid to police our borders?” he said.

The Federal Government on Thursday began uploading the data of 60 terrorists and other criminals to the International Criminal Police Organisation database.

The terrorists and the other criminals were among those who escaped when a terrorist group, the Islamic State of West African Province , bombed the Kuje Correctional Centre on Tuesday night.

As of press time, it was learnt that the details of most of the escapees had already been uploaded.

The Spokesman, Nigeria Correctional Service, Umar Abubakar, who confirmed this to The PUNCH on Thursday, disclosed that the names, pictures and other data of the inmates have been circulated to other security agencies.

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When asked if the NCoS has dispatched the data of the terrorists to Interpol, Abubakar said, “They are working on it; the ones they uploaded are not too clear to my liking and the management’s liking. Hopefully, they should be through tonight.

“Yes, we have access to the (Interpol) database. Every inmate or suspect that is brought to our facility, we photograph him and have the details about him before it goes to our database.

“They are trying to upload it and work on it so we can have the details of the offences committed and have the next-of-kin and take appropriate actions.”

Asked if the service had alerted other security agencies to look out for the fleeing inmates, Abubakar stated, “Yes, we have sent the list to other security agencies but the issue is that we want to upload the information with their pictures captured for easy identification by this night (Thursday) or earliest tomorrow morning (Friday); by 8am, we should be through.”

Checks by one of our correspondents showed that the reconstruction of the bombed Kuje prison began on Thursday.

A senior officer disclosed that the walls are being fortified as directed by the government.

Responding to claims that there were no close circuit cameras at the facility, a senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity dismissed it as untrue.

He stated, “The prison has CCTVs, it is just that the cameras do not cover as far as the gate where the soldiers are. But within the walls, there is CCTV. The pictures of the fleeing inmates have been sent to Interpol.”

It was learnt that Mustapha Umar, a man who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison by a Federal High Court in 2013 for bombing the Kaduna office of ThisDay newspapers is among the 60 Boko Haram members that escaped when terrorists attacked the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja on Tuesday, The PUNCH has learnt.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola had ordered that Mustapha spend the rest of his life in jail for bombing the office of ThisDay using 12 camp gas cylinders in 2012. A list of the fleeing inmates obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday showed that some suspected Boko Haram members currently standing trial are among the fleeing inmates.

Yasir Salihu aka Dan Birni, an avowed Boko Haram member who confessed to killing influential Kaduna cleric, Sheikh Auwal Albani, on the order of the late Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, is also among those who escaped. Also on the list is Kyari Goni, a former commander from Shekau’s faction who willingly surrendered to the military.

Others on the list are: Shehu Abdullahi, Suleiman Idi, Suleiman Zacharia, Yakubu Abdullahi, Yasir Salihu, Yunusa Mukaiya, Bello Haruna, Biliyaminu Usman, Sunday Michael, Bello Haruna, Bilyaminu Usman, Bukar Ali, Ibrahim Mohammed, Ikya Abur, Ismail Abdullahi, Modu Aji, Mohammed Sani, Musa Abubakar, Fannami Bukar, Faruku Waziri, Hassan Hassan, Ibrahim Musa, Idris Ojo and Ishaq Farouq

Mohammed Guja, Mohammed Buba, Abdulmannan Obadiki, Abubakar Musa, Abubakar Umar, Adamu Mohammed, Ahmadu Hagola, Asama Kanti, Baluye Modu, Bassey Kingsley, Diko Iko, Abdulkareem Musa, Andulsalami Adamu, Abubakar Habibu, Abubhakar Sadiq, and Abubakar Mohammed were also listed.

FG alerts Interpol

Also, it was learnt that the process of uploading the data of 60 escaped terrorists and other criminals to the International Criminal Police Organisation database had begun.

The Spokesman, Nigeria Correctional Service, Umar Abubakar, who confirmed this to The PUNCH on Thursday, disclosed that the names, pictures and other data of the inmates havd been circulated to other security agencies.

When asked if the NCoS has dispatched the data of the terrorists to Interpol, Abubakar said, “They are working on it; the ones they uploaded are not too clear to my liking and the management’s liking. Hopefully, they should be through tonight.

“Yes, we have access to the (Interpol) database. Every inmate or suspect that is brought to our facility, we photograph him and have the details about him before it goes to our database.

Checks by one of our correspondents showed that the reconstruction of the bombed facility began on Thursday.

A senior officer disclosed that the walls are being fortified as directed by the government.

Responding to claims that there were no close circuit cameras at the facility, a senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity dismissed it as untrue.

He stated, “The prison has CCTVs, it is just that the cameras do not cover as far as the gate where the soldiers are. But within the walls, there is CCTV. The pictures of the fleeing inmates have been sent to Interpol.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says an alert has been sent to all checkpoints across the country even as The PUNCH learnt that officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service had been put on notice.

In a statement on Thursday, Aregbesola admitted that correctional centres across the country could only contain internal attacks but cannot withstand external force.

FG alerts immigration

In a statement by his Spokesman, Sola Fasure, titled, ‘Armed Invasion of Kuje Correctional Centre’, Aregbesola said from all indication, Boko Haram terrorists were behind the attack.

“As we speak, security personnel are combing the whole area, up to a distance of 100km radius, looking for them. All checkpoints nationwide have been put on alert. More than 400 of them have been brought in and more are still coming,” he stated.

He added, “After the Abolongo, Oyo State, attack on a correctional facility, in October last year, it became apparent that a new form of attack for which our system was not prepared had emerged. Our system was primed to prevent and foil internal disturbance and riots, not external attacks/invasions since the facilities were usually built around police and military formations.”

In a statement, the Spokesperson for the Zamfara State police command Mohammed Shehu, said the command had intensified efforts to ensure adequate security at all the major roads in the state.

Also, the Ogun state police command on Thursday said the command had deployed heavy presence of police around the correctional centres to avert any attack.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, therefore stated that there was no cause for alarm.

In Katsina State, the police and immigration said the appropriate security arrangements were already in place to prevent escapees from Kuje to use borders in the state to escape from Nigeria.

The Spokesman for the Katsina NIS, Kabir Lawal, told The PUNCH that although Jibia and Kongolam border posts were under separate commands and not under Katsina, the NIS had appropriate security arrangements to prevent miscreants from using Katsina borders as their escape routes to neighbouring countries.

The Spokesman for the Katsina State police command, Gambo Isah, in his reaction said the command had the responsibility of ensuring safety of lives and property in the state.

Meanwhile, a tally by The PUNCH showed that no fewer than 4, 443 inmates are on the run after nine successful jailbreaks in the last seven years. Aregbesola had stated in December last year that 3,906 inmates were still on the run. With 443 having escaped on Tuesday night, the figure is now about 4, 443.

Also, 18 jailbreak incidents have been reported since the commencement of the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) with nine successful attempts reported analysis by The PUNCH has revealed.

Between October 2020 and July 5,2022, correctional centres in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory have witnessed several jailbreaks.

According to the Ministry of Interior, a total of 1,993 inmates were freed from two Nigerian Correctional Service Custodial Centres in Benin City and Oko in Edo State in October 2020.

On October 22, 2020, a total of 58 inmates were released from the facility in Okitipupa local government of Ondo State, after thugs broke in. The attackers destroyed properties belonging to the prison and injured staff on the premises.

On the same day, October 22, 2020, three attempts were foiled at the Ikoyi facility, Lagos, Afara Umuahia Correctional Centre, Abia, NCOS Warri, Delta state. However, the foiled attack led to the death of warder.

Six months later, on April 5, 2021, the Ikoyi centre witnessed another attack which was described by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregebesola, as the worst in the recent history of the country, hoodlums broke into the correctional facility with explosives and dynamite and freed about 1844 inmates in an operation that lasted from 1am to 3am.

On April 4, 2021, gunmen attacked a correctional centre in Owerri, the state capital, and freed 1,844 prisoners. Officials said in all, 84 inmates were returned to the facility.

On April 9, 2021, two officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Bauchi sustained injuries after a riot at the facility. Five of the inmates were injured in the process, but no inmates were able to escape after the riot.

Also, on September 13, 2021, armed men attacked the prison facility in Kabba, Kogi, North-central Nigeria, killing two officials and freeing 240 inmates.

On October 22, 2021, the Abolongo Custodial Centre was attacked and 837 inmates escaped from the facility, but the interior ministry said 262 had been recaptured.

On November 28, 2021: The most recent jailbreak occurred on Sunday when gunmen stormed the medium security custodial centre, Jos, releasing 262. At least 10 inmates were killed during the encounter and one security personnel also died. So far in 2022, a total of three attacks have been reported while two have been unsuccessful.

In an interview with The PUNCH, a security expert, Chidi Omeje stressed the need for the effectiveness of security operatives in the country.

Another security expert, Nnamdi Anekwe stressed the need for a reform of the prison system.

Lawan laments

In a related development, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has said that Tuesday’s attack on the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre by terrorists speaks volumes about the failure of the country’s security architecture.

Lawan who led a delegation of the leadership of the Senate to assess the level of attack on the correctional facility, faulted the prisons authorities for not providing Closed Circuit Television at the Kuje correctional facility and others across the country.

He added, “The attack on this correctional facility is symptomatic of the failure of security failure. The attack is only a culmination of the failure of security systems.

“We were told that an estimated 300 terrorists attacked this facility. They came on foot, and I believe they should have been detected. In the first place, 300 people will not come for an operation like this without planning. Planning must have taken a week, a month or a bit more.

Briefing the lawmakers earlier, the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army Battalion in Gwagwalada, Lieutenant Colonel Adisa, told the Senate Leadership that over three hundred insurgents were behind Tuesday’s attack on the Kuje medium security custodial facility.

According to him, only a total of 50 security operatives were on the ground when the terrorists armed with IEDs stormed the facility to release the insurgents.

Reacting to the jail break, rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), has alleged the Federal Government had foreknowledge of the Kuje attack.

Falana said this at the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Lagos State Chapter’s 14th Distinguished Lecture Series themed “Professionals in Partisan Politics: Appraising their roles in Envisioning Economic Growth and Development of Nigeria,” held in Lagos on Thursday.

He accused the Federal Government of merely creating a false impression of concern, and that the government indeed knew about the attack at the medium-security facility.

In a related development, the International Organisation for Peace-building and Social Justice has said the Islamic for West Africa Province activities against state targets have reduced the capacity of security operatives in the country.

The organisation said the activities of ISWAP showed that the group was more tactical in their operations than the Boko Haram terrorists.

A report by the organisation released on Tuesday added that despite the killing of their key leader in 2021, ISWAP had recruited more than 5,000 fighters.

The report partly read, “The emergence of ISWAP as the regnant Islamist extremist organisation in Nigeria is a concerning development. The group has concentrated its activities against state targets, reducing the capacity of the military, police, and security services, whilst impacting morale.”