Airport heist: How syndicates target, loot passengers’ luggage

Samson Oladipupo's return to Nigeria after six years abroad turned into a distressing ordeal when his luggage was tampered with and items stolen upon arrival at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Oladipupo, who was returning for his wedding, found his first bag torn and damaged, with his wedding ring, clothes, shoes, and gifts missing. His second bag also had items missing.

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The first bag I saw was torn and badly damaged. When I opened it, some of my items had been stolen. My wedding ring, clothes, shoes, gifts for my family and in-laws were missing. They took the ring and left the pouch, removed the wristwatch and left the box.

"I almost went mad. My wedding arrangement was disrupted. I had to go and buy a lower-quality ring. The original ring alone cost about N400,000, and the wristwatch about N120,000. In total, I lost items worth over N1m," Oladipupo alleged. He noted that other passengers on the same RwandaAir flight from Dubai also reported similar losses, expressing anger and disbelief.

Oladipupo suspects that some airport workers deliberately target bags that are flagged for excess weight. He explained that his bags were slightly over the 23kg allowance but were re-tagged to the standard weight at Dubai airport after his appeal. Upon arrival in Nigeria, an airport attendant questioned him about excess baggage, and he believes this scrutiny made his bags a target.

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I almost went mad. My wedding arrangement was disrupted. I had to go and buy a lower-quality ring. The original ring alone cost about N400,000, and the wristwatch about N120,000. In total, I lost items worth over N1m.

"What they do is look out for bags with excess luggage that are not properly tagged. If you didn’t pay, they tamper with your bag," he said. Despite lodging complaints, Oladipupo did not pursue legal action, citing complications with baggage declaration during check-in. The incident highlights ongoing traveler complaints about mishandled luggage, including delays, damage, and theft at the airport.

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What they do is look out for bags with excess luggage that are not properly tagged. If you didn’t pay, they tamper with your bag.