Nigerian airports are dangerously exposed to terror threats as most facilities across the country lack essential explosive detection equipment and patrol vehicles, SaharaReporters has learnt.

Aviation insiders revealed that even Nigeria’s “best airports” in Lagos and Abuja remain grossly under-equipped, while local terminals and cargo wings face even more severe vulnerabilities.

“Abuja, Lagos, and even Port Harcourt are the most and best equipped airports we have in the country. But they don’t have Explosive Trace Detectors (ETDs), particularly at their local terminals,” one source said.

Explosive detection machines, officially known as Explosive Trace Detectors (ETDs), are standard safety devices used in modern airports worldwide to detect even the faintest trace of explosives on passengers or luggage. But according to sources, they are practically absent in Nigeria.

“The local airports as a whole have no ETD in Nigeria. Even Lagos and Abuja, the best equipped, don’t have the tools to track or detect explosives. At the international terminals, it’s just bare minimum stuff,” another source explained.

Their absence, experts warn, puts both domestic and international travellers at serious risk.

Insiders disclosed that attempts to introduce ETDs at Abuja’s cargo section only came after sustained pressure from foreign airlines.

“In Abuja, they tried to have it at the international cargo place because of the pressure from international airlines and aircraft. But in Lagos, even the one they claimed they installed is just 10 percent functional, based on recent assessment,” a source noted.

Beyond the absence of ETDs, security operatives at airports across the country reportedly lack basic patrol vehicles, limiting their ability to effectively cover vast terminals and monitor suspicious activity.

“There are no patrol vehicles for the security people to work with. The airport is obviously large, and there is a need for them to go around with vehicles. It is safe to say the situation is everywhere in Nigeria, particularly at the local terminals,” the source added.

The source further warned that cargo flights, in particular, present grave dangers if not properly screened.

“We are supposed to have these detectors at the local places and cargo flights too, because items people are trying to move can contain something that could lead to an explosion,” the source stressed.