There was an alleged security breach at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos as thieves are reported to have broken into an Arik aircraft and made away with valuable aviation components.
SaharaReporters stated that the assailants carried out their nefarious act on Boeing 737-73V with registration number EI-ULN.
One of the items stolen during the operation is the Flight Management System, a major aircraft navigation computer component.
Reports add that the equipment is worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars.
Experts say that the computer system is an onboard multi-purpose navigation, performance and aircraft operations computer.
It helps to provide virtual data and operational harmony between closed and open elements associated with a flight from pre-engine start and take-off to landing and engine shutdown.
It is alleged that the the thieves operated in the airport between 11:00pm on Wednesday night to 7:00am on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at the Domestic Terminal II.
Another report said that the thieves also tampered with the pilot static cover and other sensitive parts of the aircraft, making it impossible for the aircraft to fly.
The publication quoted aviation experts as saying that the operation could only have been cared out by highly skilled aircraft engineers.
According to an aviation source, “It is impossible for a novice to have successfully removed the FMC, that thing was stolen by an expert.”
There are also indications that this is not the first time security breach at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Arik Air is a Nigerian airline operating mainly from two hubs at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.