Maiduguri Airport Not Closed To Deny Pilgrims’ Airlift,Says DHQ

The Defence Headquarters ,DHQ has debunked reports that the Maiduguri airport was closed to deny airlift of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia from there. The DHQ said on Saturday that “The restriction in the airport is purely for security reasons.”
Defence Spokesman,Major General Chris Olukolade said in a statement “Contrary to reports in many newspapers and online media claiming that the Maiduguri airport was closed to deny its use for the airlift of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, the airport was only observing restriction of the facility to military use in the light of ongoing operations in the area. This followed security assessment of the situation indicating that a sudden massive air lift could not be permitted in the light of the threats and ongoing operations in the area.
“Apparently, the implications of such massive airlift and traffic from the facility in the light of present security situation was not appreciated early enough by those planning the exercise to enable proper security procedure be installed for the important exercise. An alternative arrangement was however worked out in concert with the relevant authorities in the state, to enable the movement proceed. This process has continued smoothly despite the inconveniencies which will be ameliorated as the exercise progress.
According to the defence spokesman, “The sensitivity of the situation in the country calls for due caution and conscious effort to avoid yielding to the pressure from those who are apparently sympathetic to those working frantically to undermine the nation’s security. The public is therefore requested to ignore all insinuations inferring religious or political connotations from the security measures put in place in Maiduguri airport. The intention has never been to jeopardize the airlifting of pilgrims as has been wrongly portrayed.
“The Defence Headquarters appeals to the media not to yield itself to the pressure of those seeking to make political or economic capital out of the security situation by insinuating a religious or political connotation to every effort. The restriction in the airport is purely for security reasons”,Olukolade said.