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.
