The incident, captured in a video made available to SaharaReporters, showed the U.S. soldier arguing that only Nigerian immigration officers had the statutory authority to inspect his passport and belongings.
A confrontation unfolded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos after a United States military personnel, identified only as Biodun, challenged operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over what he described as an unlawful demand for his passport and a second round of luggage checks.
The incident, captured in a video made available to SaharaReporters, showed the U.S. soldier arguing that only Nigerian immigration officers had the statutory authority to inspect his passport and belongings.
“They have already checked my belongings. It is personal belongings. You saw me when they checked,” Biodun protested.
He added: “NDLEA is strictly for drugs. You don't even have the right to request for my passport.”
The video begins with the soldier undergoing routine immigration checks at the airport.
After verifying his identity as a member of the U.S. military, the immigration officers cleared him to proceed. However, moments later, NDLEA operatives stopped him and demanded his passport, sparking a heated exchange.
“Are you immigration?” the visibly irritated soldier asked one of the NDLEA officers.
In response, an NDLEA official insisted, “You don’t need to be an immigration officer before I can check. What do you have in your luggage?”
The confrontation has since sparked debates over the overreach of Nigerian security agencies at airports, with many questioning why NDLEA officers — whose primary mandate is drug enforcement —routinely demand passports from travellers.
Incidents of harassment and extortion by airport security operatives, including NDLEA officers, have been a recurring issue at Nigerian airports.
Many travellers have accused them of using intimidation tactics to extort money under the guise of “random checks.”
A similar experience was shared by Omoyele Sowore, convener of #RevolutionNow movement in September 2024.
Sowore said he was detained by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, upon his arrival from the United States.
In a post via his X page, Sowore said his passport was also seized by the NIS.
“I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA to the MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me,” he wrote at that time.
“This is not unexpected because I have always known that It is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessINOctober revolt.
“In case this becomes another prolonged and protracted detention, I urge our citizens to ensure they ALL stop tyranny by all means acceptable and necessary, by engaging in the planned series of direct actions slated for October 1st and beyond.”
WATCH: US Military Nigerian-American Documents Encounter with @CustomsNG and @NDLEA_nigeria Officials Upon Arriving at Lagos Airport pic.twitter.com/fHGeN9hIi1
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) March 28, 2025