A FULL body scanner is being installed at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to be operational by the close of this month.
After the installation, the equipment will give security officials the opportunity to fairly assess every passenger or persons using the airport.
The measure forms part of security arrangements instituted by the authorities to forestall any security breaches at the airport.
Security concerns have heightened worldwide following a foiled attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, to blow up a North West Airline Flight 253 from Amsterdam, Holland, to Detroit in the United States of America on Christmas day.
A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that though the use of the equipment would raise moral questions, the national security was in charge to come up with the best decision in the interest of individual travellers and national security.
Describing some of the reports on Mutallab as inaccurate, Mr Ablakwa noted that “now is not the time to indulge in blame games and as a country we have no wish to point accusing fingers”.
He disclosed, however, that the Nigerian arrived in Ghana on December 9, 2009, at 0320 GMT aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 911 from Dubai and indicated on his immigration form that he intended to stay in Ghana for three weeks.
According to the deputy minister, the traveller further gave a hotel address but did not stay at the address given on entry and rather chose a different hotel.
He said on December 24, 2009, Mutallab checked in at the KIA, Accra on Virgin Nigeria Flight 804 for Lagos, with that flight terminating in Lagos.
“He was, therefore, processed at the airport like any other ECOWAS national travelling within the ECOWAS sub-region. Again during security checks nothing incriminating was found on him,” the deputy minister said.
According to Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa, there was no indication that Mutallab was travelling beyond Lagos, but later checks “revealed that whilst here in Accra, he had purchased a ticket from KLM in Accra for Lagos-Amsterdam-Detroit-Amsterdam-Lagos which ticket he subsequently used to travel from the Lagos Airport.
Mr Ablakwa noted that Mutallab departed KIA at 1706 hours (GMT) on Virgin Nigeria Flight 804 for a one-hour flight to terminate in Lagos Nigeria.
“It is observed that after that flight had terminated, he checked in for a fresh flight altogether — North West Airline Flight 8588 from Lagos to Amsterdam and connected in Amsterdam on North West Airline Flight 253 to Detroit.”
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said the suspect took the flight from Lagos at 2255 hours on December 24, 2009 giving him (suspect) virtually five clear hours of time in Nigeria on arrival from Accra.
“His flight on North West Airline to Amsterdam and the connection to Detroit were both not and indeed could not have been in the anticipation of the relevant Ghanaian Airport security officials,” he stressed.
The deputy minister stressed that at no time before the event had the relevant Ghanaian security authorities been informed that Mutallab had come to security notice, adding that the suspect had, therefore, been treated like any other ECOWAS national travelling to another ECOWAS member state.
“The relevant Ghanaian authority pledges its commitment and resolve to ensure flight safety and shall continue to co-operate with our global partner agencies in the effort to make airline travel safe for all.
“Airport security has become a global responsibility and it is our belief that the lessons learnt from this event will serve to actualise the required mutual co-operation to enhance airport security capacity to common standards the world over,” he noted.
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