Dele Momodu recalls near detention at London airport over 18 phones

Veteran Nigerian journalist and publisher of Ovation International, Dele Momodu, has recounted how he was almost detained by security officials at London’s Heathrow Airport after 18 mobile phones were found in his bag.

Momodu shared the experience in a recent video circulating on social media, saying the incident occurred while he was travelling to South Africa.

According to him, airport security officials stopped him after discovering the phones and called in special forces before questioning him about his profession.

“There was a time I was almost detained at Heathrow because I had 18 phones in my bag. They stopped me while I was going to South Africa,” he said.

Momodu said the officials placed the phones in a tray and asked him to prove that he was a journalist, prompting him to bring out his iPad and rely on his contacts with prominent personalities.

He said he opened his contacts and called the numbers of the late Queen Elizabeth II and former United States President Bill Clinton, explaining that “name-dropping” was part of the media profession.

Momodu added that the officials later took him to Customs because they considered 18 phones to be a commercial quantity. He explained that the devices were old phones, but the same questions were repeated.

He said the officials eventually allowed him to proceed after the Customs checks, adding that the incident almost caused him and his companions to miss their flight.