Thursday 13 June 2013

Crowd stops plane from landing



Crowd stops plane from landing
Barely a week after his suspension by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko returned yesterday from an overseas trip, but his plane could not land at the Sokoto International Airport.
There was no technical problem, but a huge crowd of excited supporters stormed the tarmac.
The governor, who was supposed to land at 4.17pm, could not do so until about 6pm.
The governor was held in the air for about 20 minutes before Aviation authorities diverted the plane to Kaduna – to avoid stampede.
But the aircraft, which brought federal lawmakers from the state, who accompanied the governor to Sokoto,succeeded in landing at 4.15pm.
Although Wamakko was expected to land two minutes later, the tarmac was declared unsafe by aviation management.
The diversion of the governor’s flight created tension among his supporters and to avoid a breakdown of law and order, the airport management opted to clear the tarmac.
After clearance, the governor’s plane eventually landed at about 6pm.
As at 8.30pm, the governor was still battling to wade through the huge crowd lining the routes from the airport to the Government House.
A PDP source in the state said: “The crowd comprised mostly PDP supporters, who are angry over the suspension of the governor. Initially, there was tension because the anxious supporters thought that the Federal Ministry of Aviation was up to a game like it did to Amaechi and Oshiomhole.
“But tempers subsided when the governor eventually landed . The crowd was huge.
“This is a sign that if the PDP National Secretariat messes up, the party may lose the state. How can they suspend a governor for not picking the calls of the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur?”
The Ministry of Aviation cited a near breakdown of law and order at the Sokoto Airport as the reason why the Donnier 328 aircraft flying the governor from Abuja was diverted to Kaduna.
In a statement, the Media Assistant to the Minister of Aviation, Mr Joe Obi, explained that the governor’s supporters broke the fence of the airport and were on their way to the tarmac to welcome the governor.
The statement reads : “ The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), a few hours ago diverted the plane, a Donnier 328 aircraft carrying the Governor of Sokoto State, Alh. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamako to Kaduna airport as a safety and security precautionary measure. The governor was in an Abuja in-bound flight to Sokoto.
“The safety/security precautionary measure followed the near-breakdown of law and order at the Sokoto airport by an unruly crowd of Wamako supporters who broke the fence and was on its way to the tarmac, apparently to welcome the governor.
“Effort by security personnel to prevent a breach of the security and movement into the prohibited and restricted areas of the airport was met with stiff resistance from the crowd.
“Sensing that the security and safety of the governor and other passengers was in real danger, NAMA decided to divert the aircraft to Kaduna airport to restore normalcy at the airport.
“The governor and other passengers on board have since returned and landed safely at the airport, after the unruly crowd had been successfully restrained from entering the restricted zone.”

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