Air Marshal: Where Are the Concessions?

(article written Jan 2010)

Having air marshals on Nigerian soil is a new vista to air security. In the past, US and other marshals boarded domestic flights while they seek permission from other countries for the marshals to board on foreign soil. The permission is often times subject to debate, delayed negotiations or utter refusal by most countries and their respective pilot union.

The Russian marshals hardly seek permission from third countries, because they make use of experienced martial art professionals backed with ICAO recognized cabin restraint kits and protective body suits.

Presently, Nigeria does not have an air marshal programme and would require the experience, training, equipments and intelligence sharing, the Americans will offer. I would have preferred, partnering the Israelis who have an unblemished record in preventing terrorism in the air and around Israeli aviation facilities in any part of the world.

The air marshals programme has some challenges, such as the government ability to continually fund it, training them properly with the universal objective to “shoot&stop” with minimal force, quarterly re-certification on firearm usage, procurement of low velocity or cabin sensitive firearms such as Sig-saner P229R & non lethal stun guns.

Others are the ability to differentiate between an unruly or terror minded passenger and the ability to retain the air marshals who have a high turn over rate due to boredom associated with flying for years without an incident to show requisite skills.

Although aviation is universal, the Nigerian factor scares; we may ask, which of the numerous security and aviation agencies in country will house the air marshal unit without raising a cross functional or power tussle problem?

Will the cost of flying, accommodating & other sundry allowances of the air marshals which is borne by government in other climes not be passed on the airlines in future like it is being done with the NCAA inspectors? Presently, the air marshal programme cost the Americans $800million a year.

Will the marshals be recruited from the police, airforce or aviation society? Considering recruitment is determined by the agency housing the programme.

Can we guarantee that the process will not be bungled or unnecessarily delayed due to interference like it happened with the recently advertised consumer protection officers of NCAA?

Will the new marshals submit to the authority of the flight crew while on board as obtained in other climes?

Our generous and expeditious acceptance, of the unilateral decision of US government to have armed marshals boarding aircrafts departing from Nigeria, even in the absence of Mr. President, should be reciprocated, by giving some concessions to Nigeria, the concession should start but not limited to some aspects of the terror watch list, funding of the air marshal programme in Nigeria, e.t.c.

Sometime in 2008 some EU countries that consented to air marshals boarding on home soil got concessions in visa waivers or relaxation. Nigeria deserves some concessions thereafter we can start the process of addressing the Nigerian factor.

Air marshals are regarded as the last line in the aviation security system in combating terrorism, if we are accepting the conditions of getting off the terror list then the legislative arms should start preparing necessary laws in support of the programme, while the NCAA should amend the civil aviation regulations by ensuring the cabin restraints kits, are included in the minimum equipment list (MEL), considering these kits will also be of great assistance when dealing with unruly passengers on board the aircraft.

It was the first equipment used in restraining Mr. Abdulmutallab on the 25th of December, pending the successful arrival of the aircraft in Detroit, before being handed over to the police.

We must ensure the terrorist don’t get on board our aircrafts; it is a better option than waiting for last man to take them on board