How Lagos airport’s security checks became its biggest racket

Last year, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) promised a digital revolution at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, with the acquisition of high-tech AI security scanners designed to eliminate human contact.

Today, however, that multi-million naira investment sits alongside manual tables used as a means to enrich officials at the airport.

Despite the presence of sophisticated sensors, government agencies have placed physical search tables, turning what is supposed to be a coordinated security process into a rowdy, uncoordinated ordeal for travellers.

These manual tables have evolved into much more than security checkpoints; they now function as a lucrative toll system for a syndicate of officials.

BusinessDay’s investigation reveals that personnel from the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), ground handlers, and even FAAN’s own staff are utilising these manual search points to exploit and harass passengers.

Under the guise of ‘secondary screening,’ these tables have become avenues for organised extortion, where the price of a cleared suitcase is often a ‘voluntary’ cash donation.

A recent visit to MMIA Terminal 2, Lagos, captured the chaotic reality of the current situation.

Passengers who had successfully passed their bags through the AI-powered scanners—proving their luggage was threat-free- were immediately intercepted at the terminal entrance and ordered to the tables.

There, the sophisticated Spectrum 4-colour imaging of the Orion 927DX machines is rendered irrelevant, replaced by the prying hands and questioning of officials whose primary interest appeared to be less about contraband and more about the ‘illegal daily collections’ raked in from vulnerable travellers.

The interrogation of travellers at these tables follows a weary, predictable script. Questions such as “Where are you travelling to?” and “What is the content of your bag?” serve as a prelude to the inevitable, most absurd intention: “Anything for us?”

These are not the probes of a security apparatus seeking contraband, but a calculated assessment of a passenger’s financial vulnerability.

BusinessDay witnessed a recurring drama of intimidation where travellers were coerced into unpacking their belongings onto the very tables FAAN promised to abolish. While some passengers resisted, those who were pressed for time to board opted to give the officials money just to let them go.

These passengers were seen squeezing naira and foreign currencies into the palms of officials to bypass the interrogations at the tables.

This ‘under-the-counter’ clearance system has effectively become the unofficial standard at the gateway. For nearly every passenger monitored during the investigation, the digital clearance provided by the AI machines was treated as secondary, while the manual “table clearance” remained the mandatory, and often grim reality.

When BusinessDay confronted a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operative regarding the manual searches, the response suggested a dismissal of executive authority.

The official characterised the Minister of Aviation’s directive to end manual searches as a mere “political statement,” asserting that the machines are insufficient for detecting narcotics.

The operative hinted that even Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, who recently visited the terminal, is aware that the physical tables remain in place.

FAAN’s AI Machines

The situation, however, contradicts what FAAN had promised Nigerians when the AI machines were launched.

FAAN stated that the tech machines installed at the screening points at the Lagos International Airport would eliminate manual search.

According to the authority, the Orion 927DX machines have the capacity to exhibit images in the Classic 4-colour and the new proprietary Spectrum 4-colour (SP4) option, providing superior image, allowing improved security by quick and accurate identification of threats and an increase in throughput.

The machines are also designed to detect a wide range of explosives and narcotics, respectively, in real time during the scanning process by marking a potential threat on the X-ray image.

During the launch of the machines last year, Afegbai Albert Igbafe, Director Aviation Security Services, (DASS) assured that each security agent would have their own monitors and the physical tables would be out away.

“The tables you see will be a thing of history; you will no longer see any tables. There will be no physical contact, because what we are also doing is that when we fix those monitors and the machines dictate unaccepted objects, the concerned officials will take the passenger and his or her baggage to designated areas for physical checks.

“The designated areas will also have CCTV cameras. This is to ensure the passengers are not being exploited. When the machines dictate something, the Aviation Security (AVSEC) calls the relevant agencies such as National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Customs, quarantine, amongst others to follow up,” Igbafe explained.

FAAN’s failed promise

However, one year after these promises were made, BusinessDay’s findings show that while the machines have been installed at almost all screening areas of the airports, rather than a reduction of the manual searches, more physical tables have been brought by the agencies for secondary searches.

More and more tables have been erected across the airport terminal.

More recently, another table has been erected close to the foot of the aircraft for those who need to do a baggage claim or remove items not allowed for check-in from their bags.

At these second-tier checkpoints, officials also deploy some invasive questions: ‘Is this your first time travelling to this country?’ and ‘Is that your final destination?’ These queries serve as a financial probe; once an official senses a traveller’s anxiety or generosity, the interrogation moves to the ultimate demand: ‘Find something for us now.’

This ‘manual search’ concludes the moment the traveller’s luggage is closed and the ‘under-the-counter’ settlement is reached.

The exploitation intensifies at the point of boarding. Here, a final line of tables is manned by ground handlers who operate with a level of aggression. These personnel use colloquial pressure tactics: “Show me love,” “Find us something nah,” or “What do you have for us?”

This stage of subtle money collection is aided by ‘boarding fatigue.’ For travellers who have already cleared several layers of manual and electronic searches, these ground handlers present a needless final obstacle that can only be cleared with a cash offering.

Tarmac shakedown

The most damning evidence of this shadow economy occurs at the very edge of the tarmac. BusinessDay witnessed a recent confrontation at the new temporary terminal involving four Ethiopian Airlines passengers bound for Addis Ababa. The travellers were pulled from the boarding queue for ‘baggage identification,’ allegedly due to prohibited items like power banks and liquids.

The ensuing scene exposed the elasticity of safety rules when cash is involved.

Three of the passengers, unwilling to endure the ‘hassle’ of unpacking as the aircraft prepared for departure, offered cash settlements. Their bags were immediately cleared and loaded. The fourth passenger, who lacked the funds to ‘settle’ and requested to retrieve her property upon her return, was met with hostility.

Officials informed her that because she could not pay, her power bank would simply be “disposed of.” This incident underscores a grim reality at MMIA: on the tarmac, “prohibited” items are only a threat if the passenger is unable to pay the unofficial toll.

Passengers lament

BusinessDay interviewed some passengers who expressed disappointment in officials at the airport using manual tables to exploit passengers.

“Each time I pass through Lagos airport, I just put about N50,000 in my bag because I know I have to settle with officials to avoid the hassle of opening and unpacking my bags. Sometimes the money isn’t enough to go round after multiple searches. Sometimes I’m forced to give dollars when I have exhausted my naira. This only happens here in Nigeria,” Uche Ugwu, a trader and a regular traveller, told BusinessDay.

Susan Emmanuel, another frequent flier said she hates to pass through Nigerian airports, particularly Lagos airport because of the multiple checks and confrontations by government officials.

“When I heard FAAN had launched the Spectrum 4-colour imaging of the Orion 927DX machines and deployed them at the screening points of the airport, I was very happy because I thought it was the end of manual search. At least I know countries that use these machines don’t conduct manual searches.

“I was surprised to have travelled almost the same time these machines were installed but yet the manual searches wouldn’t go. In fact, I think the manual tables at the airport have since increased. It is indeed sad and something FAAN and the minister of aviation should look into,” Emmanuel said.

In its defence, FAAN maintains that its processes are in line with global best practices.

“We have deployed best-in-class scanning equipment at the entrances of our major international airports. These advanced machines are capable of detecting organic materials, explosives, undeclared currency, and other prohibited items without the need for intrusive manual search processes. To ensure optimal performance, our Aviation Security (AVSEC) officers have undergone comprehensive training in the operation of this equipment,” part of a statement provided to BusinessDay read.

The airport authority said it has engaged heads of the relevant security agencies to integrate the use of the new scanning technology into their procedures, which would be resolved soon.

“A key objective is to facilitate the training of their personnel on the scanners, enabling them to rely on technology-driven checks rather than routine manual searches. While this inter-agency collaboration has been a gradual process, we are confident that a resolution will be reached soon, leading to a smoother and more dignified experience for all travellers.”

Experts warn of consequences of these tables

Seyi Adewale, the chief executive officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, told BusinessDay the use of manual tables depicts Nigeria as a nation that is not diligent enough to pull or go through a process successfully.

Adewale said due diligence may be simple things such as an adequate sales and maintenance contract, procuring equipment most suitable for our type and nature of environment and securing long term spare part replacement needs.

“We need to have a robust and well trained retinue of staff handling or operating the equipment, develop safety culture to ensure that no rodents can invade the equipment area, and provide uninterrupted power supply,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria can eliminate these issues, such as physical luggage searches or checks, through privatisation.

“There are many government related bureaucracies that limit the efficiency and effectiveness of public enterprises such as airport business processes and management.

“Issues surrounding budgeting, account management, time lag from requisition to approval etc all make federal government management inefficient. These issues are not deliberate but it is just how the government works that is limiting,” Adewale explained.

Industry veteran John Ojikutu, CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, argues that the root cause of airport chaos is a fundamental misunderstanding of security architecture.

According to Ojikutu, aviation security is a precision-layered defence system, not the “multiplication of armed forces” currently seen at Nigerian gateways.

Ojikutu outlines a global standard of six distinct levels of security management that should, if functioning correctly, render manual “table searches” obsolete:

The airline counter, which is the initial identity verification and risk-based screening; checked-in luggage, which is the primary FAAN screening; restricted area access which are controlled entry points for passengers; main checkpoint,  electronic screening of passengers and carry-on items; border security which identifies “No-Fly” threats through shared intelligence and boarding gate, which is the airline-led secondary screening.

A major point of contention for Ojikutu is the current management structure. He notes that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP) erroneously tasks FAAN, a commercial agency with ‘coordinating’ various military and paramilitary security outfits.

“Aviation security is not the multiplication of forces, nor the application of arms as seen at Nigerian airports,” Ojikutu told BusinessDay.

“We can only eradicate the menace of secondary searches if we remove the multiplicity of security agents. This coordination should not be handled by a commercial agency like FAAN; ICAO recommends a National Aviation Security Committee to select a dedicated Security Coordinator.”

Ojikutu also warns that the foundational infrastructure of Nigeria’s premier airports is being overlooked. He points to the failure to distinguish between a perimeter fence (general land survey) and an airport security fence (operational area protection).

“Not all Nigerian airports distinguish the Security Fence from the general Perimeter Fence, especially at Lagos, our premier gateway,” he noted.

He challenged the government’s narrative regarding recent successes. While authorities have touted a 91.4 percent ICAO audit score, Ojikutu suggests the real story lies deeper.

“The question the public needs to ask the NCAA is for the specific ICAO and TSA Audit Reports on Nigeria’s aviation security—not just the 91 percent ‘noise’ being sold on the last report.” (BusinessDay)