Aviation
How A Fellow Passenger’s Counsel Saved Me From Being Roped-Into Drugs By A Seatmate – Flight Passenger
When next you find yourself at the Airport or travelling by air, be ready to paddle your canoe by yourself, and never get too close to ‘spontaneous friendship offers’.
This might save you from trouble, if the account of an international air passenger, Kofi Badu, is anything to go by.
According to Badu in a video making the rounds on social media platforms, he boarded a flight to Dubai and found a matronly looking lady, seemingly descent and well educated as seatmate.
Oblivious of the lady’s evil intentions, Badu allowed himself to be engaged in chit-chat with her al through the journey, only for her to feign ill as the flight was about landing in Dubai just to draw empathy from and implicate Badu.
He was saved by an observant co-passenger who offered him tips and helped him witness to the Dubai Police that he was not the strange lady’s son.
Badu said, “There was this day, an old lady comes in and sits next to me inside the plane she asked me to help her put her bag in the overhead luggage compartment… she strikes up a conversation she was very pleasant and well-spoken so we chatted all through the flight to Dubai.”
The lady’s theatricals took a new turn, and she feigned sick, as the flight was about to land, Badu stated.
According to Badu, “Suddenly when the pilot announced that we were now proceeding to begin our descent into DXP ‘my good friend’ developed stomach pains.
“Me with my good heart I pressed the steward’s button… and this lady suddenly began to address me as ‘my son’,” Badu stated.
That was when a fellow passenger’s wise counsel came in handy. “The same gentleman who helped put up her luggage in the overhead compartment removed her luggage but as he removed the luggage, he advised me to distance myself from this lady and make it clear to the cabin crew that we were not travelling together. This man was a God-sent.”
The elderly woman’s evil intentions came to the fore when the plane landed. She made deliberate efforts to implicate Badu, by claiming to be his mother and oblivious of the contents of her luggage, which she claimed was packed by ‘her son, Badu’.
She was carrying drugs which Badu was ignorant of!
“As we waited for our luggage to come through I didn’t hear this commotion; my new friend was running, trying to escape the cabin crew, luckily the airport police were faster than her.
They got hold of her and brought her back in handcuffs and this lady starts calling out me ‘my son’ ‘my son’ ‘how could you do this to me?’ that’s when it occurred to me that she was carrying drugs and she was trying to implicate me,” Badu revealed.
His saving grace was the fellow passenger’s testimony and a lack of physical evidence linking him to the drug-carrying old lady.
He explained it thus, “Luckily for me, the gentleman who had helped her with her luggage came forward and told the airport police that me and her had just met on the plane.”
The experience has changed Badu from the chatty guy to a grim looking one, each time he found himself at the Airport. And he would advise anybody to do the same.
“I was let go with advice never ever to touch anyone’s luggage either on a flight or at the airport so from that day I don’t care how much luggage you have he will deal with it yourself, I will not even offer you a trolley to put your luggage on your luggage your problem that is my new policy and if you can’t reach the overhead compartment and I am the nearest person please call the cabin crew because all I’ll do is give you a blank stare and then look away. This is a simple advice I’m just saying it please think about it,” Badu stated.
An Abuja-Accra flight experienced technical difficulties mid-air on Friday, forcing it to return to Abuja, shortly after departure.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Board (NSIB) made the disclosure in a statement, adding that it has launched investigation into what it described as a serious accident.
Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji stated that preliminary investigations revealed the aircraft experienced an engine number two indication issue.
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It was gathered that the aircraft, with registration number 5NKAL which was operating a flight from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja (DNAA), to Kotoka International Airport, Accra (DGAA).
She explained that four persons were onboard when the incident occurred. The crew immediately requested for a diversion back to Abuja due to the engine indication.
Oladeji added that the crew managed to safely land the aircraft at Abuja Airport at 18:16 UTC.
There were no injuries reported, and all individuals on board are safe.
Nigeria has acquired 12 pre-owned Alpha Jets from the French Air Force as part of efforts to enhance the operational capacity of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The deal, facilitated through SOFEMA, a French military and aeronautics company, was announced by Olusegun Dada, Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on via X on Thursday.
He said, “All the 12 aircraft are ready for shipping.”
The Alpha Jet, a product of Franco-German collaboration, is a versatile military aircraft designed for light attack and advanced training missions.
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Equipped to carry bombs, rockets, and missiles, the aircraft also features a gun pod for close air support.
The NAF already operates 11 Alpha Jets, but this latest procurement signals a significant boost to its fleet.
Dada also confirmed that the Air Force is expecting 24 M-346FA light attack aircraft, ordered during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The first batch of these Italian-made aircraft is expected to arrive early next year.
Air Chief Marshal Hasan Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, described the acquisitions as a testament to President Tinubu’s commitment to bolstering the armed forces.
“This renewal of our aircraft fleet reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Nigerians,” Abubakar said.
The announcement comes on the heels of President Tinubu’s three-day state visit to France, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The visit, which took place from November 27 to November 30, highlighted deepening ties between the two nations.
To ensure the sustainability of its expanding fleet, the Air Force has proposed establishing a local maintenance hub.
Speaking in October, Abubakar noted that six units of the M-346FA aircraft were already in production, with the initial batch of three expected to be delivered in early 2025. The full fleet is projected to arrive by 2026.
“These developments underscore the importance of creating a domestic support system for the long-term upkeep of our aircraft,” Abubakar added.
As the holiday season draws near, Aero Contractors has introduced a minimum ticket price of N80,000 for all local flights.
The move, which will last until January 2024, aims to ease the financial burden on Nigerians amid the high cost of living.
Ado Sanusi, Managing Director of Aero Contractors, made the announcement on Tuesday during a press briefing, describing the fare reduction as a gesture to help Nigerians celebrate Christmas and the New Year without the stress of steep ticket prices.
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Sanusi said, “We understand the economic hardship Nigerians are facing, especially with high ticket prices, and we know the holiday season is nearby.
“In the spirit of Christmas, Aero Contractors has introduced what we call pocket-friendly Christmas prices. These fares, starting at N80,000, will apply to all our destinations, allowing Nigerians to travel without excessive costs.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, an economy class ticket from Lagos to Abuja was priced at N99,643, while business class tickets were being sold for N189,167.
Sanusi further explained that the initiative was designed to make it easier for families to reunite during the holidays.
“This is a way for us, as an organization with a long history of serving Nigerians, to give back to our loyal customers. We want to make it possible for families to meet their loved ones during this festive season without worrying about exorbitant travel costs,” he added.
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