Customs Deny Extortion Allegations by American Returnee at Lagos Airport

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has refuted allegations of extortion against the GHR Command by an American Returnee, Oke Adhekegba.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdul, said in a statement in Lagos on Monday that the Command had commenced a full-scale investigation to establish the facts of the matter.

The Comptroller in charge of the command, Effiong Harrison, said the passenger was accompanied by 10 pieces of luggage containing multiple items, including 15 pairs of footwear, 22 bottles of perfume, 12 pieces of bags, and numerous new clothing.

Harrison said that the items were worth N3,113,574 with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1,000,004.

He said the Adhekegba arrived in Lagos aboard British Airways with a flight Number BA-75 from London on Friday, May 16, 2025, at approximately 18:47 hours at the arrival hall D of the old terminal.

“These items were assessed at $1,948.15 USD upon proper valuation. Using the prevailing exchange rate of ₦1,598.22, the value in naira amounted to ₦3,113,574.00.

“In line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023, the applicable charges which are Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) charge, Import Duty, Surcharge (SUR), ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) Levy, and Value Added Tax (VAT) were computed, amounting to ₦1,000,004.00, which has since been duly remitted into the Federal Government’s coffers (Copy attached),” Harrison said.

He said the customs examination was carried out by two customs officers named Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) KO Adebayo and Assistant Superintendent of Customs I (ASC I) CC Ugboma.

Harrison explained that NCS was committed to professionalism, transparency, and integrity.

“The MMIA Command does not condone unethical behaviour or compromise of standard operational procedures by its personnel or members of the travelling public.”

He said that the command had, therefore, begun a full-scale investigation to establish the facts of the matter.

While the command remains open to scrutiny and welcomes constructive engagement from stakeholders, Harrison reiterated that duty should be paid on dutiable items as prescribed by the law.

He stated that the command would not hesitate to enforce the relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, where any passenger was found to have breached the law for personal gain.

He added that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport command assured the public of its commitment to facilitating legitimate travel and trade, while upholding zero tolerance for misconduct or abuse of process at all ports of entry.

NAN