The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has denied allegations that its officers extorted the sum of ₦1 million from Mr. Oke Adhekegba, a Nigerian citizen returning from the United States, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
According to the Service, the money collected was not a bribe but the legally mandated duty for goods brought in by the passenger.
The incident, which has stirred public attention, reportedly took place on May 16, 2025, upon Mr. Adhekegba’s arrival in Lagos via British Airways flight BA-75 from London.
He landed at approximately 6:47 p.m., and according to preliminary findings by the Customs, he was carrying ten pieces of luggage containing numerous new items such as designer footwear, perfumes, handbags, and clothes.
The Customs officers involved, Chief Superintendent of Customs K.O. Adebayo and Assistant Superintendent of Customs I C.C. Ugboma, assessed the items during standard customs clearance procedures.
The total value of the goods was calculated at $1,948.15, which, when converted using the prevailing exchange rate of ₦1,598.22, amounted to ₦3,113,574.00.
Based on this valuation, the duty payable—covering Import Duty, Surcharge, VAT, ECOWAS Levy, and the Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) charge—was determined to be ₦1,000,004.
However, Mr. Adhekegba offered a different account of the incident. Speaking to the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), he alleged that the officers initially demanded ₦5 million to clear his goods. He claimed that after hours of being delayed, harassed, and frustrated—until around 9 p.m.—they finally agreed to accept ₦1 million.
“I expected they would provide an official government account for the payment,” he said, “but instead, they brought in a female PoS operator who appeared to be working with them. She provided her PalmPay account number, 9551197XXX, with the name Shaaibu Rabiu, into which the payment was made.”
This detail sparked public outrage, as the use of a private mobile money account, rather than an official Federal Government payment channel, suggested impropriety.
Responding to the claims, the spokesperson for the MMIA Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Usman Abdu, issued a statement defending the officers. He insisted that the payment was for legitimate customs duty and that the full amount had already been remitted to the Federal Government’s account. He also attached a receipt to support this claim.
“The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service, MMIA Command, has been drawn to a media report alleging extortion by customs officers,” Abdu said. “Our findings show that Mr. Adhekegba’s goods were properly assessed, and the appropriate customs charges totaling ₦1,000,004 were paid as required by law.”
Despite the official explanation, questions remain about why a private account was allegedly used to collect the payment, rather than a standard government remittance process, further fueling suspicions of misconduct.
As of now, the matter continues to attract scrutiny from the public and civil society organizations who are calling for a full investigation to ensure transparency, accountability, and adherence to proper procedures at the nation’s ports of entry.
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