Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority yesterday thursday disclosed that it has initiated
investigation in order to determine the identity of the dead stowaway found in
South Africa on an Arik Air flight.

Mr
Sam Adurogboye, General Manager, Public Affairs of the NCAA, told the News
Agency of Nigeria  on that the authority would take the needed action after the investigations were concluded.

Here is what Adurogboye said …..

 “The matter is still being investigated and decision will be taken after.

The
investigation is being carried out NCAA through the active
involvement of the airline itself and with the authorities in South
Africa.’’ 

Also,
the Acting General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Mrs Henrietta
Yakubu, said that the authorities were yet to establish the identity of
the stowaway.

Yakubu explained that information available to the authority suggested that the said body was already decomposed.

According to her, it was possible that a body could decompose in a six hour flight.

“Whatever the case, there is an investigation going on and that is why we cannot pre-empt the outcome.

 “We have asked Arik to investigate to be able to determine where the stowaway boarded the flight from.

“It
has not been established whether the deceased is a Nigerian or not
until the investigation is over and the facts are determined,’’ she
said.

Arik’s
Communication Manager, Mr Ola Adebanji, said that the airline had no
further information on the dead stowaway until it concluded
investigation.

NAN
reports that a lifeless body of a stowaway was discovered on Wednesday
in the main wheel well of Arik’s A330-200 aircraft at the Oliver Tambo
International Airport, Johannesburg.

The
airline, had in a statement on Wednesday, confirmed that the aircraft
departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 3.55 pm on
Tuesday and arrived at Johannesburg shortly before 11.00 pm.

It
said the engineers of South African Airways Technical facility at the
airport, where the aircraft was scheduled for a routine maintenance
check, discovered the body of the stowaway during the inspection phase.

Arik  said investigations were ongoing to determine how the stowaway found his way into the aircraft main wheel well.