Murtala Muhammed International Airport Faces Rising Scams In 2025: What Travelers Need To Know And How To Protect Themselves In Nigeria

Published on September 15, 2025

Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) successful Lagos, Nigeria, is 1 of nan busiest airports successful West Africa, offering captious connections to international and domestic destinations. However, pinch nan emergence successful passenger traffic, a concerning summation successful scams and extortion has besides been reported, putting travelers astatine risk. While MMIA continues to service millions of passengers, travelers request to beryllium vigilant and well-informed to debar falling unfortunate to fraudulent activities. This article focuses connected providing applicable proposal and actionable steps to thief travelers enactment safe and navigate nan challenges posed by these scams.

Rising Scams and Extortion astatine MMIA: What Travelers Need to Know

Over nan past year, location person been aggregate reports of scams targeting unsuspecting passengers astatine MMIA, ranging from ticket racketeering to extortion by customs and migration officers. These scams often hap successful crowded areas of nan airport, making it challenging for travelers to spot fraudulent activity.

Ticket Racketeering and Airline Staff Collusion

One of nan astir pervasive scams astatine MMIA involves airline unit colluding pinch touts to waste flight tickets astatine inflated prices. Passengers person reported being charged up to N250,000 for a one-way ticket, importantly supra nan charismatic rates. These transactions are often processed done backstage POS machines, making it difficult for travelers to separate betwixt morganatic and fraudulent sales. Travelers are often near confused and frustrated, particularly erstwhile nan fraudulent activities impact staff who are expected to beryllium assisting them.

Customs and Immigration Extortion

Another prevalent rumor astatine MMIA is customs extortion. In June 2025, a Nigerian passenger returning from nan United States claimed that customs officers astatine MMIA extorted N1 million from him nether nan pretext of clearing his luggage. While nan Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) denied nan allegations, they promised a thorough investigation. Such extortion incidents adhd to nan increasing database of complaints from travelers, undermining spot successful nan airport’s security operations.

Additionally, location person been reports of immigration personnel progressive successful akin practices. In March 2022, 2 members of nan Nigeria Immigration Service were removed from their positions aft being implicated successful extorting passengers. Although disciplinary action was taken, these ongoing issues show that overmuch much needs to beryllium done to guarantee nan safety of travelers.

How These Issues Affect Travelers and nan Tourism Industry

The reported scams and extortion incidents person far-reaching consequences for some passengers and nan section tourism industry.

Decreased Passenger Confidence

As nan scams and extortion incidents proceed to make headlines, passenger confidence successful MMIA’s security and operational integrity has been importantly eroded. For galore travelers, proceeding astir these fraudulent activities leads to worry and distrust, which could consequence successful them choosing other, much unafraid airports. This business tin person a detrimental effect connected some international and domestic tourism, arsenic travelers whitethorn debar utilizing MMIA, opting alternatively for airports successful different regions aliases countries.

Operational Challenges and Delays

The beingness of scams complicates airport operations, starring to unnecessary delays and inefficiencies that impact some passengers and airlines. Scammers often disrupt nan travel of travelers, causing agelong hold times for check-in, customs, and security checks, yet making nan airport experience frustrating and time-consuming. Such issues create a ripple effect, impacting not only nan traveler experience but besides nan wide functioning of MMIA.

Reputational Damage

Ongoing reports of misconduct person resulted successful important reputational damage for MMIA. This tarnishing of nan airport’s image could deter international airlines from operating flights astatine nan airport. Additionally, tourists whitethorn opt to bypass Nigeria altogether if they consciousness nan airport lacks capable security measures. For a awesome airport successful 1 of nan fastest-growing economies successful Africa, restoring its estimation is basal to maintaining precocious international traffic.

How to Protect Yourself: Practical Tips for Travelers

While these issues persist, travelers tin return respective proactive steps to protect themselves and minimize nan risks of falling unfortunate to scams aliases extortion astatine MMIA.

1. Book Only Through Official Channels

The first statement of defense is to book flights straight done nan airline’s official website aliases an authorized agent. It is important to debar purchasing tickets from third-party sellers aliases touts operating wrong nan airport. These individuals whitethorn connection tickets astatine inflated prices aliases usage backstage POS machines that could mislead passengers into making payments for non-existent services.

2. Confirm Prices Before Paying

Before making immoderate costs astatine nan airport, ever corroborate nan charismatic ticket price pinch nan airline aliases a trusted airport authority. Be peculiarly cautious if you’re approached by individuals asking for cash aliases offering to facilitate your transaction quickly, arsenic these could beryllium signs of a scam.

3. Deal Only pinch Official Airport Staff

When interacting pinch airport personnel, guarantee that they are easy identifiable by their uniforms and ID cards. Avoid engaging pinch unlicensed individuals offering unsolicited services for illustration baggage handling aliases transportation. Only woody pinch official staff who person a clear airport ID.

4. Keep Your Belongings Secure

Scammers often run successful groups, utilizing distractions to bargain individual items. Travelers should guarantee that their luggage is securely locked and that valuables specified arsenic wallets, phones, and passports are kept successful unafraid and easy accessible places. It is important to enactment vigilant, particularly successful crowded areas.

5. Use Airport-Authorized Taxis

For transportation, usage only official airdrome taxis aliases ride-sharing apps authorized by nan airport. Avoid accepting rides from drivers who attack you directly, arsenic they whitethorn not run nether regulated pricing, and their services whitethorn beryllium untrustworthy.

6. Report Suspicious Activity Immediately

If you brushwood immoderate suspicious activity aliases consciousness that you are being scammed, study it instantly to nan airport authorities aliases security personnel. Most airports person dedicated security desks aliases help points wherever travelers tin study incidents and get assistance.

7. Stay Alert to Phishing and Fake Offers

Phishing scams and clone offers are becoming much communal successful nan travel industry. Be cautious astir unsolicited emails aliases phone calls claiming to connection discounts aliases services related to your trip. Always verify nan authenticity of nan sender aliases caller earlier responding.

8. Trust Your Instincts

If thing feels off, spot your instincts. Walk away and activity thief from authorized personnel if you’re unsure astir a situation. Taking nan other clip to double-check and verify specifications tin prevention you from falling unfortunate to scams.

The Way Forward for MMIA

Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) is an basal hub for some domestic and international travel, but to support its maturation and status, it must return decisive action to reside nan ongoing scams and extortion issues. Increasing security infrastructure, training airport personnel to grip fraudulent activities, and improving passenger awareness are cardinal steps that request to beryllium implemented.

As MMIA continues to grow and cater to much passengers, it is captious for authorities to guarantee that nan security environment is robust and safe. Travelers should beryllium fixed nan assurance to navigate nan airport without fearfulness of encountering fraudulent activities.

Conclusion

Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) has knowledgeable important maturation successful passenger traffic successful 2025, but nan persistent issues of scams and extortion are a awesome concern. These fraudulent activities person led to decreased passenger confidence, operational disruptions, and reputational damage for nan airport. Travelers must stay vigilant and travel champion practices to safeguard themselves. In addition, airport authorities and airlines must return concerted action to combat these issues and reconstruct MMIA’s status arsenic a unafraid and trustworthy gateway for travelers.

[Source: Nigerian Tribune]