Bomb scare hoax on Arik Air aircraft.

Sky Watch Nigeria.

The management if Arik Air has dispelled the rumour making the rounds yesterday  that a passenger attempted to bomb its aircraft operating a flight from Maiduguri to Abuja. According to the spokesman of the airline, Mr Ola Adebanji ''to set the records straight, a passenger on board flight W3 812 from Maiduguri to Abuja caused a scare when he started shouting Allah Akbar shortly before the aircraft landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja'' he said. The frightened passengers on board the flight became suspicious and began to get worried the man was up to something.

Although all the passengers on board the flight, including the man in question, had initially gone through the normal security check at the Maiduguri International Airport and nothing incriminating was found on anyone. However, when the aircraft landed in Abuja, another security check was conducted on the passenger and nothing incriminating was found on him. 

A further security search was conducted on the operating aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 NG (Next Generation) and no trace of bomb or explosives were found. The aircraft went back to service immediately. 

Olabanji also added that ''Arik Air wishes to assure guests that all its flights undergo strict security checks and passengers have nothing to fear. The airline’s Aviation Security Department is one the most sophisticated in the industry and its commitment to security and safety of passengers is second to none in Africa."

The airline just last weekend in Accra, Ghana won the award of the Best Security and Safety Conscious Airline in West and Central Africa by the IICP.