Years ago on a 707 at Lagos people opened a hold of the aircraft, not in order to stow away, but to steal the luggage and freight; despite four running engines.
On another occasion an aircraft at high speed clobbered a pedestrian on the active runway. The person was taking the shortest way home on a much used route.
It is not surprising to find ignorance of the likely consequences of their actions; you'll find a similar degree of lack of knowledge in wide percentages of the population, irrespective of country.
It's pretty obvious to me that the present people were simply attempting to find a better life for themselves.
As for security then how much do we hobble ourselves, restrict our lives, just in case? You cannot have perfect security.