My personal experience as I came back to UK on 12/04/22.
*Please note that the police didn't allow any family to come inside the airport with me which I later realised it is to their advantage and not for security reasons*.
*This is a long write up but will save you a lot if you can take time to read through.
*I came back via KLM which took off very late at night. I arrived at the airport very early as I travelled from another state to avoid any disruption and Lagos traffic and that actually helped me to deal with the syndicates inside the airport because I had enough time*.
*Immediately I entered the building, my luggages went through the belt, the customs did their normal routine (asking for what I bring for them 😳) and sent me to where I will pay #2,000 each for my luggages.
Reason being that, I have a 5kg bag of ogi, crayfish and small dried fish in my luggages which are not contraband.
I paid them but without any receipts given.
*Then my ordeal with the organised syndicate/scammers started*.
A man (not in uniform, but you will know that the authority is aware of their operation) approached me and asked if I wanted my luggages to be weighed and of course, all passengers would do that anyway unless you don't have any luggage.
I said, 'Yes' to that and he immediately took me to the counter where we normally check-in the luggages and they go in finally.
I never realised the last 4 weighing scales on the left of those counters have been tampered with/adjusted to read extra kilos.
They intentionally adjusted them so your luggages will weigh more than what it weighs.
I weighed my luggages before I left home and my scale is very accurate and I am so convinced about the accuracy.
*I was shocked to see that my first luggage weighed 5kg above what it weighed at home.
The second luggage weighed 6kg above*.
This man was so patronising and trying to be too nice.
He appeared as if he was trying to help me but Alas! he wasn't but had a goal.
*He immediately told me,
‘madam your luggages are more that 23kg and they will charge you 150 dollars, but just go and give them 100 dollars so they will let you off.’
I was surprised to see what the luggages weighed and immediately confused with what was happening.
I started thinking of how I am going to get rid of some kilos.
*Remember, my family had left because they won't allow anyone to come in with me*.
I started calling my brother that dropped me to come back but unfortunately couldn't reach him.
As I was doing this, the man was asking me if I was calling someone.
Why would a stranger be soo intrusive like this?
I started thinking of what next as I was confused about >< how I'm going to get rid of over 10kg.
Then, another lady approached me and I later realised they are working together.
The lady said to me that the bag I used for my luggage is not acceptable by KLM and that she's got the acceptable bag for #2,500.
She suddenly dumped it on my trolley.
The same man asking for 100 dollars jumped into the conversation between me and the lady and supporting the lady that the bag is not acceptable.
I was telling them how come the same bag I brought from london through KLM is suddenly not acceptable again as I just came from UK.
The lady was telling me that they can allow the bag from London but will not allow it from Lagos 🤭.
She was already showing me many passengers changing their bags to her own recommended bag.
She was telling me if I don't buy the bags for #2,500 naira, it is #3k if I walk down to another shop within the airport.
The 2 of them were supporting each other and telling me it is true.
*I was confused and getting frustrated 😱 but I was calm because I had time in hand to play with*.
*My flight was 22.15hr and I was already at the airport by 2.25pm.
✅Now, what I did was to approach a man in uniform with a badge, I asked him to look at my bag and tell me if KLM would not accept it. ✅
The man looked and said nothing is wrong with the bag and that they will accept it.
Hmmmm! A bit relieved.
*Now looking at my back, I saw a lady at a different counter away from where these men were sending people to weigh luggages.
I went to ask her for a favour to weigh my luggages for me because the counters were not open yet.
She agreed and I weighed all my luggages without taking anything out of the bags.
To my surprise, my luggages weighed 23kg as expected.
Exactly what it weighed from home 🤔
*Before I finished weighing the luggages this man and the lady disappeared.
I was looking for them to confront them both but I never set my eyes on them till I finally checked-in.
Guess what, I checked-in the same bag the lady scammer told me its not acceptable.
I did without any problems.
*When I landed at Heathrow airport I saw a woman who came to UK in the same aircraft with me and was a victim of these scammers.
She was telling me how she paid 140 dollars because they claimed her luggages weighed extra. They even sold 2 bags to her for #5k.
She nearly cried when she was telling me her ordeal.
*I felt so sorry for her because I saw many people these scammers/syndicate were talking to before they disappeared.
Many people were removing things from their bags and disposing items because they were fed with wrong information by people who wanted to dupe them*.
I thought of taking time to share this with everyone in diaspora to be aware of the scammers operating at this particular airport.
*I'm 100٪ sure the airport authority is aware of these people and they are getting their own shares.
If not, there is no way they can be sending people to pay for dollars.
How on earth can they tamper with those counter scales if the airport authority is not in support?*
*How would such people operate inside the airport when they don't even allow families to come in and say goodbye to their loved ones?*
*The authority intentionally stopped families coming in so they can scam passengers by telling them to pay for the extras knowing that you can't send any luggages home*.
Please let your friends and families know this.
May God help Nigeria as things are not right at all.
I have travelled to so many countries in the world but Nigeria is the only country that customs and immigration officers are in 5 different check points at the airport.
Why????
They are not even focusing on their jobs but asking for what passengers brought for them.
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