British Airways (BA) in Lagos on Thursday explained why the airline’s officials offloaded Dimeji Bankole, speaker, House of Representatives and his personal assistant, Adegoke Emmanuel, after boarding a BA074 flight bound for London en-route Lagos on Friday.

Bankole and his aide had arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Lagos on August 6, 2010 and proceeded to the check-in counter for necessary passenger information details and luggage screening before proceeding to the boarding gate for search. The airline alleged that while conducting stipulated security search, the duo refused to surrender their four pieces of hand luggage to BA security for hand search.

It added that the airline’s duty manager explained to the speaker that this was a mandatory security check, but that he still refused, alleging that Bankole tried to force his way into the aircraft.

“He was immediately offloaded. Airline and other airport duty officials including the captain and London security duty manager were informed, some customers witnessed the incident. “Due to the Data Protection Act, we are unable to comment on individual customers. The safety and security of our customers, aircraft and staff is always our top priority”, the airline said on Thursday.

But Bankole in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Idowu Bakare, said “British government exempts security searches on presidents, vice presidents and speakers of the national parliaments among other VIPs and British Airways is the national carrier of Britain.”

Source: http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13634:why-we-offloaded-bankole-from-london-bound-flight-by-ba&catid=85:national&Itemid=340

Whats wrong with British Airways? You want to search the personal belongings of top government functionaries? Small time, they will be asking common men like me and you to strip naked because we want to fly on their airplanes. Rubbish BA.

@labiyemmy:

Whats wrong with British Airways? You want to search the personal belongings of [b]top government functionaries? Small time, they will be asking common men like me and you to strip unclothed because we want to fly on their airplanes. Rubbish BA.

[/b]

Nonsense! Are they above the law? What is wrong in searching them? Top criminals if u asked me.

is that how they search British top officials when they arrive in Nigeria? please tell me without any name calling.

Any regular flier on BA will read this story twice and doubt it- you can only "offload" someone who is already in the Airplane- also, no security searches are conducted while already seated on the plane- Also, the story says, he tried to force his way into the aircraft? and was refused? meaning he never got inside the plane or what? hence there was no offload? Please give us a very accurate story rather than doubtful stories here.


The story is very untrue- the Speaker only on his own decided to cancel his trip and there was never any offload- liers.

@labiyemmy:

is that how they search British top officials when they arrive in Nigeria? please tell me without any name calling.

Thats is not the point, its a mandatory security check, everybody go through it, he shouldn't be allowed to go without search cos he could be carrying drug or other harmful stuff. Its a Nigerian immigration rule and NOT British immigration rule, as a speaker, he should know better.

Maybe the security guy wanted a tip- how many times have i travelled with the same airline without having my hand luggage checked by just waving a 500 naira note? What was the security guy hoping to see in the Speaker's bag? bombs and grenades? There is what is called diplomatic immunity- I guess the same guy will tomorrow ask the Prime Minister of Britain to release his hand luggage for check when he sees him on another BA flight.

What was he hiding?
If he had nothing to hide then why not open bags?
Guilty of something!!!!!

@labiyemmy:

Maybe the security guy wanted a tip- how many times have i travelled with the same airline without having my hand luggage checked by just waving a 500 naira note? What was the security guy hoping to see in the Speaker's bag? bombs and grenades? There is what is called diplomatic immunity- I guess the same guy will tomorrow ask the Prime Minister of Britain to release his hand luggage for check when he sees him on another BA flight.

People like you make me sick, why paying for something that supposed to be free? Why do u have to pay N500 to avoid been searched? What have you got to hide?

Some Nigerian MPs can't be trusted and need to be searched really well, well done BA!!!

^^^^

You never begin sick - your sickness will begin when you know the difference between a tip, a dash, and a payment- You obviously didn't read my sentences properly, or your prejudice against Nigeria and Nigerian politicians have beclouded your sense of objective thinking!

@labiyemmy:

^^^^

You never begin sick - your sickness will begin when you know the difference between a tip, a dash, and a payment- You obviously didn't read my sentences properly, or your prejudice against Nigeria and Nigerian politicians have beclouded your sense of objective thinking!

You are contradicting urself, u paid them to avoid being searched, now u are calling it tip or dash

Ppel like you are encouraging corruption and still cry how corrupt Nigeria is, why were u afraid of being searched?

@ Justwise, i think you're right. If the guy did not have skeleton in his bag, then why not let the BA search him?

justwise:

People like you make me sick, why paying for something that supposed to be free? Why do u have to pay N500 to avoid been searched? What have you got to hide?

I'm on the fence here justwise When we recently went to Ghana, we had 11 suitcases between the 7 of us. All the checks had been done at Heathrow etc but when we landed at Kotoka Airport, the immigration officer demanded everyone open their bags for checks before we could leave the airport. I mean, whatever for? We'd just landed So hubby bunged the guy some cash and he marked our bags so we were able to get through. We had nothing to hide but the sheer inconvenience of opening up 11 suitcases compiled with a screaming hungry baby and tired kids (6 hours flight and we landed in the morning), it was just the easiest thing to do. Sorry

^^^^

They will tell you, you have something to hide hence you "paid" not to be searched.

@labiyemmy:

^^^^

They will tell you, you have something to hide hence you "paid" not to be searched.

I'm pretty sure the checks at Heathrow was sufficient

Omo Alata:

I'm on the fence here justwise When we recently went to Ghana, we had 11 suitcases between the 7 of us. All the checks had been done at Heathrow etc but when we landed at Kotoka Airport, the immigration officer demanded everyone open their bags for checks before we could leave the airport. I mean, whatever for? We'd just landed So hubby bunged the guy some cash and he marked our bags so we were able to get through. We had nothing to hide but the sheer inconvenience of opening up 11 suitcases compiled with a screaming hungry baby and tired kids (6 hours flight and we landed in the morning), it was just the easiest thing to do. Sorry

Yea, its easy to break the law in Africa but u wouldn't dare do that at heathrow airport, u get me? Would ur hubby try that at heathrow airport EVEN when the bags have been searched at Ghana airport?