A chef identified as Satchet Rayne has accused officials of the Lagos airport of extorting her 14-year-old daughter, who was travelling to Canada alone.
Via her Twitter handle @Imoteda, the Canada-based Nigerian alleged that immigration officers took all the money on her teenage daughter.
She tweeted, “My 14-year-old daughter, FOURTEEN, is travelling by herself. Immigration took ALL her money before they let her go.
“They took money from a 14 year(sic) Didn’t even leave her with 1kobo or one thousand naira so she can buy food while she waits. How WICKED!!!!
“I am so angry. A child!!!!!!! Why are you stealing money from a child! And you took all of it and didn’t let her call her mother?!!! Whoever was involved, you will die in penury! Your joy will turn to ashes! You will plant seeds and harvest thorns that will tear your flesh!
“I am stunned at the wickedness. A child!!! A bloody child!!!! Since you people want to focus on the unimportant, airlines don’t provide unaccompanied minor services for connecting flights. Only direct flights and as she is coming to Canada. They do however provide supervision on the flight and sit kids together. Now that’s clear.”
The accusation is coming a few days after an investigation by Sahara Reporters revealed how a Nigerian syndicate involving immigration officials at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and airport staff in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, work closely to frustrate travellers from Nigeria.
The syndicate, which mostly target first-time travellers from Nigeria, use fear and blackmail to hoodwink victims into parting ways with at least a $50 (about N29,000) bribe money before being allowed to fly to Addis Ababa from Lagos and to their final destinations.
Travellers, who fail to offer this amount of bribe even if their documents are in order, are allowed to fly out of Lagos to the Ethiopian capital but they are illegally held over there and eventually deported to Nigeria.
Findings by Sahara Reporters revealed that dozens of Nigerians have fallen victim to this notorious cartel in the last one month alone, leaving many of them frustrated and unable to reach their intended destination despite having all travel documents complete and not breaching any immigration laws.
