By Elizabeth Toyon
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have condemned a media report that states that two operatives of the command collaborated and stole N1 million from one Mr. Oke Adhekegba, a Nigerian returning from the United States of America (USA), on May 16, 2025 at the Arrival Hall D of the old terminal.
According to a press statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Usman Abdul on June 16, 2025, Adhekegba, arrived in Lagos aboard British Airways Flight Number BA-75 from London on Friday, 16th May 2025 at approximately 18:47 hours and preliminary findings indicate that, following a careful examination by officers of the Service with the name Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) KO ADEBAYO and Assistant Superintendent of Customs I (ASC I) CC UGBOMA, the passenger was accompanied by 10 luggages containing multiple items, including 15 pairs of footwear, 22 bottles of perfumes, 12 pieces of bags and numerous new clothing.
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.
Abdul affirmed that as a responsible agency 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. The Command has therefore commenced a full-scale investigation to establish the facts of the matter.
While the Command remains open to scrutiny and welcomes constructive engagement from stakeholders, it reiterates that duty must be paid on dutiable items as prescribed by the law. The Command will not hesitate to enforce the relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, where any passenger is found to have breached the law for personal gain.
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command wishes to assure 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.
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