An Ukrainian cargo plane which was suspected to be carrying military hardware was Sunday impounded by security operatives at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
The cargo plane, which had technical problem, had landed at the airport for repair work but was impounded by security operatives over the arms which was discovered in the cargo's manifest.
Sources revealed that the Ukrainian cargo plane, which was heading to the Republic of Congo, had landed in Kano, at about 2a.m. yesterday, with security operatives at the airport requesting for the manifest of the goods in the aircraft, which later turned out to be arms.
The pilot and crew members, who were questioned by the security operatives, were able to tender genuine and cleared documents for the weapons, which indicated that it was meant for the Republic of Congo.
When THISDAY visited the airport, security operatives had cordoned off the plane and barricaded all routes leading to the cargo plane at the airport.
However, a security official, who spoke to THISDAY, said: “The plane had valid documents, which backed it up for them to carry out their journey to Republic of Congo.”
THISDAY also learnt that the plane, however, took off from the Kano airport at about 1.35 p.m. Sunday en route its destination with all its nine crew members on board.
The development, it was further gathered, grounded commercial activities at the airport, while airport taxi drivers left the airport for fear of a possible breakdown of law and order, while traders in their shops hurriedly shut down.
A Ukrainian plane was sometimes ago impounded at the Kano airport, having stopped over to refuel en route Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
All effort to contact the spokesman of the Federal Airport Authority
of Nigeria (FAAN), Malam Shawai, proved abortive as his mobile phone
was switched off.
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