Police arrest man who emerged from bush and attempted to board moving plane in Owerri

A man in his twenties has been arrested for attempting to gain entrance into an Air Peace aircraft through the wheel-well.

According to reports, the aircraft was already taxing to take off to Owerri when a strange man emerged from the bush to gain entrance through the wheel. The incident took place at the MMA1 at about 9:10 am on Friday, December 27th.

Stanley Olisa, Air Peace spokesman, in a statement said: “this morning, at exactly 9:10 at the MMA1 Lagos, an Owerri-bound Air Peace aircraft(flight P47252) was taxing towards the threshold for take-off, when a man, in his twenties, emerged from the bush along the runway and tried to gain access to the aircraft through the wheel-well.”

He said there was a private jet behind the aircraft and that the pilot in command of the private jet informed the Air Peace pilot in command that a young man obviously in his twenties, was trying to force his way into the aircraft.

Olisa said the security wing of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, was alerted and that the man was accosted and whisked away. He said the suspect was currently in the regulator’s custody and that when interrogated on why he took the action, the man stated that he thought the aircraft was headed overseas.

“We commend FAAN for its timely intervention. The regulator is already investigating the incident. Air Peace remains committed to the safety of its customers and will continue to demonstrate this commitment in all aspects of its operations. At Air Peace, safety is at the heart of what we do,“ he said.