Dele Momodu Recounts Near-Detention at UK Airport Over 18 Phones

Veteran Nigerian journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu, has revealed how he narrowly escaped detention at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom after security officials found 18 mobile phones in his luggage.

Momodu shared the experience in a video while discussing his use of multiple mobile phones. He said the incident occurred when he was travelling to South Africa with a senator.

According to him, airport officials stopped him after discovering the unusually large number of phones in his bag and subsequently called in a special security team.

He said the officers placed the phones in a tray and questioned him about his destination and occupation.

Momodu told the officials that he was a journalist, but they reportedly questioned why a journalist would be travelling with 18 phones.

The media entrepreneur said he explained that he did not know of any restriction preventing him from carrying that number of phones.

However, the officials reportedly asked him to provide evidence that he was indeed a journalist.

Momodu said he then brought out his iPad and showed the officials evidence of his interactions with prominent personalities he had interviewed or met during his career. Reports on the incident said he referenced figures including the late Queen Elizabeth II and former United States President Bill Clinton.

He explained that his extensive professional network and access to prominent personalities helped establish his identity and profession to the satisfaction of the officials.

Momodu, who is the publisher of Ovation International, has built a reputation over several decades for interviewing and interacting with influential personalities in Nigeria and around the world.

The incident has since attracted attention online, with many Nigerians reacting to the unusual circumstances surrounding the airport encounter.

Momodu’s account also offered an insight into his long-standing habit of carrying multiple mobile phones, which he said remains part of his professional routine.

The journalist did not indicate that he was ultimately charged or detained, but described the encounter as a situation in which he came close to being detained before his explanation and evidence resolved the matter.