Security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle a stash of explosives onto a domestic flight over the weekend, Nigeria’s aviation minister said Sunday.
Minister Femi Fani-Kayode said he did not have specific details on the type of the explosives, saying only there were five items and that “they are high-powered stuff.” Local television aired pictures of the items � gold-colored containers about the size of a 1-liter bottle.
The items were found Saturday in luggage that was being checked in to fly unaccompanied, Fani-Kayode said.
“We’ve arrested the person and recovered the explosives,” Fani-Kayode said.
The man was shown on television in handcuffs and surrounded by police. He said he had been given the items to deliver at the airport and didn’t know what was in the luggage.
The Bellview Airline plane, a Boeing 737, was scheduled to fly from Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos to the capital, Abuja, Saturday morning. It left later Saturday after a delay.