Gate area shop for last‑minute buys
Closest Relay sits airside in T2, after immigration and security, so you hit it on the short walk to the international gates. It’s a standard news & convenience shop: snacks, drinks, basic travel gear, and magazines in one tight footprint. Figure 5–10 minutes to scan the shelves and pay, even when a couple of flights are boarding.
Hours at ABV skew toward banked departures, with Relay typically open from early morning check‑in waves through late‑evening outbound flights in T2. Staff keep the lights on for the big Europe and Middle East banks, so you can still buy water and a phone cable at 22:00. Don’t expect true 24/7; overnight departures between banks sometimes find the shutters down.
Pricing runs above Abuja city supermarkets but normal by airport standards: bottled water and soft drinks land in the mid-hundreds of naira, with basic chargers and cables stepping into the low thousands. You’ll see both local snacks and global brands on the same shelf, which helps if you’re trying to use up the last ₦2,000 before boarding.
Stock leans toward essentials: neck pillows, eye masks, basic USB cables, power banks, and a few plug adapters that fit EU and UK sockets most common on international airlines out of T2. Magazine and book racks tilt heavily toward regional newspapers and general-interest titles, with a thinner English-language book section than you’d see in Europe or the US.
Quick tip: if you care about brand choice for chargers or power banks, buy in Abuja city first; use Relay in T2 mainly for water, snacks, and a backup cable when something dies at the gate.