He called Customs' treatment of Nigerian travelers "demeaning and completely unacceptable", adding that airport security agents wait for passengers on purpose so that they can single someone out and harass him or her.
"The main issue is that the security agents will wait until you are ready to board the plane, and like the Gestapo, they will come with their dogs and gloves, singling people out by psychology or looks. They pull them aside with their sniffing dogs," the witness said.
"You have money in your pocket, but you are not given a declaration form, and you are cleared to travel. This has been going on for years, and people take it for granted. We all know that you can have more than $10,000, but you have to declare it," stated the scholar.
"We are Nigerian-Americans that are coming home to our families in Nigeria. Why are we being singled out for harassment on United Airlines? I travel with American Airlines and others, I don't face this harassment. They always have the forms waiting for you. So, United Airlines is culpable because it has a duty to provide the declaration forms to its customers," he outlined.
"In my own case, the plane was delayed for some of those passengers to return. They treated them like garbage – going to the Customs office, getting searched, abusing them, checking their luggage, digging through stuff, and they used insulting language," the man emphasized.