Tidings of Comfort & Joy:
for vendors, but not for Nigerians
by Philip Baum
I
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hould be subjected to enhanced Islamic fundamentalism, demonising Northwest flight NW253 departed
screening! Why? Because I am a British certain states, where there is a high Amsterdam for Detroit was a Nigerian.
passport holder. And why should we percentage of followers of Islam is hardly We do need to differentiate between
focus on British passport holders? Because a step in the right direction. After all, the various types of passengers boarding
Richard Reid, also known as the shoe it only takes one person to carry out a our flights, but to do so on grounds
bomber, was a British passport holder, so terrorist atrocity and there may well be as of nationality is not only unfair and
surely it follows that if somebody tries to many radicalised Muslims in the United unwarranted, it will also encourage racial
blow up an American airliner operating Kingdom as there are in Nigeria. profiling by screeners on grounds of race,
a trans-Atlantic route from Europe, we To combat terrorism, we need religion and skin colour. Additionally it
should target his fellow nationals? to foster our rapport with states and is a measure comparable with adding
Following a similar line of logic, given encourage cooperation. Let us not forget prohibited items to the Prohibited Items
that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a that Abdulmutallab’s own father, Dr Lists – that’s what screeners start to
Nigerian passport holder, the American Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, was sufficiently look for, possibly overlooking other
authorities would have us believe that we concerned about his son’s behaviour that threats in the process. Start focussing
should tarnish all Nigerians with the same on Nigerians, Pakistanis and Yemenite
brush and identify them, on the grounds “
...focussing on passengers, or those from the other 11
of nationality alone, as posing a greater so-called ‘suspicious’ countries, and we
threat to our flights. Nigerians, Pakistanis and make it easier for terrorists bearing other
Of course, in reality, there was no passports to beat the system.
way that, in the aftermath of the shoe Yemenite passengers, As a response to the events of
bomber incident, anybody was going Christmas Day 2009, regulators and
to suggest that British passengers or those from the other airports on both sides of the Atlantic
were worthy of greater inspection than set about the procurement of body
others. The political repercussions would 11 so-called ‘suspicious’ scanners; it took only a matter of days
have been seismic and the Thatcher- for certain manufacturers’ order books to
Reagan ‘special relationship’ that had, countries, and we make fill to capacity. Granted the fact that, five
to a certain extent, survived subsequent years ago, one of the recommendations
changes in administrations both sides it easier for terrorists of the 9/11 Commission was to improve
of the Atlantic, would have been dead “the ability of screening checkpoints
and buried. Let alone the fact that it bearing other passports to detect explosives on passengers”, it
would have been a measure devoid of a begs the question as to why this never
modicum of common sense. to beat the system...” became a reality then and why it took
Nigeria, however, is a different story. Abdulmutallab’s attempt to ensure that
Aside from a few heartfelt condemnations he alerted the American authorities. The it did?
vocally expressed to the world’s media in elder Mutallab was the former Chairman It is a common allegation that the
Abuja, there was little that the Nigerian of Nigeria’s oldest and largest bank, aviation security industry is reactive,
government could do to combat the First Bank of Nigeria plc, and is currently only rolling out new measures and new
2010 naming and shaming of their Chairman of Nigeria’s first Islamic bank, technologies in the aftermath of an
nation by the American administration. Jaiz Bank International Plc. Here was attack or the revelation of a specific plot;
The resentment caused amongst the a Nigerian citizen that did what few it is a subject I have written about on
Nigerian general public, however, is people in the world would be prepared many occasions. I am, however, aghast at
not something that should dismissed to do; how many of us would ever report the actions of certain regulators attempts
as toothless whingeing. The branding our own offspring to our own national to simply patch the hole demonstrated
of certain nationalities as being more security agencies, let alone those of by the last attempt, without looking to
‘dangerous’ can further exacerbate anti- the United States. This man deserves the future and failing to address the
American sentiment, especially amongst international acclamation for an act of numerous other loopholes that exist,
those individuals who are borderline selfless heroism. In fact, in the whole many of which were also demonstrated
radicals, adding fuel and motive to the al sorry story of the Christmas Day plot, on 25th December 2009. Isn’t the real
Qaeda cause. the only person who took any action to lesson of Christmas Day: next time it will
If we want to counter the threat of prevent the incident happening before be different?
2 Register now for FREE instant access to ASI online by visiting
www.asi-mag.com February 2010 Aviationsecurityinternational
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