MMA escalator chops off passengers’ toes

By Kenneth Ehigiator
Passengers travelling through the new domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA2, Ikeja, Lagos, may have to avoid using the escalator in the building, as some persons have in the past few weeks lost their toes to the facility.

A woman travelling through the terminal was said to have lost three of her toes to the escalator two days ago, and was rushed to Zenith Medicare within the terminal building for first aid treatment before being transferred to unidentified hospitals.

A source told Vanguard yesterday that the last incident came barely a week after a young boy in company of his mother also lost a toe to the escalator.

“It appears there is something wrong with the excavator or that they are not maintaining it. A woman lost three of her toes to the escalator yesterday (Wednesday) and was taken to Zenith Medical Centre within the building.

“About a week ago, a small boy travelling with the mother also lost his toe to the escalator. His leg got hooked into it as he was about getting off and it chopped of his toe. It seems the authorities are not aware of the problem,” the source said.

At the terminal building yesterday, some technicians were seen watching over the escalator, apparently to intervene if and when somebody gets trapped.

However, efforts to get response of management of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, operators of the terminal, on the issue proved abortive as the spokesman, Mr. Chukwudi Offormata, was not forthcoming with a response.

On earlier calls put to him, he said he was in a meeting and promised to call back, which he did hours later to say the company would come up with an official response today.

“We shall put up an official response tomorrow (today). Please do bear with us,” he said on the telephone last night.