An Australian author based in the United States, Mark Pollard, has criticised security procedures in Nigeria, describing them as excessive and bordering on extortion.
Pollard recounted his experiences travelling through
Nigerian airports and roads, claiming that he was repeatedly asked for cash
while passing through checkpoints.
“Nigerian friends, is your entire country set up to shake
people down? Because coming in and out of the airports there, I was told, you
know, you give me cash at least 10 times,” he said in a video shared on his
social media pages.
He also questioned the nature of the many security
checkpoints along Nigerian roads, asking whether they were truly for security
or extortion.
“A lot of the roads have security checkpoints, but are they
security checkpoints or shakedown checkpoints?” he asked.
Pollard added that even upon arriving at his hotel,
officials seemed more interested in whether they could extract money from him
than ensuring safety.
“Even going into my hotel, people weren’t just looking me up
and down to see if I was carrying anything dangerous. They were looking me up
and down to see if there’s anything that they could ask me for,” he said.
Reflecting on the broader impact of these practices, Pollard
asked, “Am I overreacting? Because this must stress you out on a daily basis,”
highlighting the challenges he observed during his visit.
Despite his criticisms, Pollard praised Nigeria for other
aspects, particularly fashion.
“I was just visiting and I had a lot of fun. And I would say
in Africa, Nigeria, number one in fashion,” he said.
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