Attempted Nigerian Kidnapping, Finally!

I've probably built it up more than it warrants, but here's the story.

Everybody in South Africa and Kenya warned us to not use any sort of credit / debit / banking card of any kind with any establishment in Nigeria for any reason because within minutes of handing it over, there is a 95% chance you will have purchased a new home entertainment set and donated it to a needy Nigerian criminal syndicate.

Subsequently, my team member who managed to get a visa (by flying home to Belgium) settled her bill when moving hotels by wiring the funds directly to the hotel's account. As she was attempting to leave, the hotel informed her that she still owed them the money. She double-checked with her bank, they confirmed the money had been transferred, and they initiated an investigation to find out where they money went since it supposedly disappeared.

She left her business card and problem solved, right? Not in Nigeria.

The hotel manager got aggressive with her and had hotel staff surround her (her Accenture-provided armed guard hadn't arrived yet for the day). He informed her that if she didn't hand over a credit card or cash, they were going to kidnap her and hold her until she, her company, or her family coughed up for the "bill" / ransom. He even went so far as to call a (supposed) relative of his in Belgium, implying a threat to her family.

She kept her wits about her and managed to get out of the situation after convincing him that she wasn't leaving the country, just transferring to a different hotel within Lagos, just down the street. Given that he now knew where to find her, my first reaction upon hearing about this was to call the guy in charge of Accenture's security in Nigeria who went ballistic (or as ballistic as a reserved English security professional can get).

Turns out the security folks have great relationships with the local government and police force (I would love to know the details) and the guy laid down the law. The manager tucked his tail very quickly and even apologized, claiming there was no intent to "intimidate" her... because really, kidnapping in Nigeria is sooooo misunderstood these days.

One of our South Africa-based clients (originally from Ghana) told me about a similar situation he encountered in a Lagos hotel. He always prepays in cash for everything in Nigeria, but once was informed upon checkout that he owed a special "tax" on his bill. Recognizing it as a shakedown, he scoffed and attempted to leave, reminding the manager that he'd already paid for his stay upon checking in.

One of the bellhops physically yanked his backpack off his shoulder, ripped his luggage out of his hand, and told him he wasn't going anywhere. Knowing he really had no recourse that didn't invovle a high risk of bodily harm, he went ahead and paid the "tax" and got out of there.

I think he summed it up best when he said, "The Nigerians are my West African brothers and I love them. But they are crazy motherf***ers and I don't want anything to do with them."