How Queen Elizabeth, Bill Clinton saved me from Special Forces arrest at Heathrow Airport – Dele Momodu
Chieftain of African Democratic Congress Shares Heathrow Airport Encounter
Dele Momodu, a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), recounted a near-arrest incident involving Special Forces at London’s Heathrow Airport. The veteran journalist revealed the details during a recent gathering with young Nigerians, which has since gained attention online.
Momodu stated that he was stopped by airport security while traveling to South Africa, due to the presence of 18 old phones in his luggage. According to him, the situation escalated when Special Forces were called to the scene.
“They called Special Forces on me and put all the phones in a tray while asking me what I do for a living,” he explained. Momodu identified himself as a journalist and produced his iPad as proof of his profession. He emphasized the role of name recognition in journalism, sharing, “People don’t know that name-dropping is part of media. Who do you know? Who have you interviewed?”
He demonstrated this by dialing the phone numbers of Queen Elizabeth II and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Momodu noted that this tactic seemed to diffuse the situation.
“They took me to Customs, saying 18 phones constitute a commercial quantity,” he recalled. “But I explained that they were all old phones.” During his interaction with Customs, he reiterated his journalistic role, mentioning the queen’s position as head of Customs in the UK, which ultimately led to his release.
Momodu concluded that the episode nearly caused him to miss his flight.
A video of his account is available here.
