Customs intercepts N2.28billion undeclared foreign currencies at Lagos airport

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted undeclared foreign currencies valued at about N2.28 billion from an Austrian national at the Lagos airport.

Chidi Nwokorie, comptroller of the MMIA command, disclosed the seizure on Tuesday while briefing journalists in Lagos.

Nwokorie said the suspect, identified as Kavlak Onal, an Austrian citizen, was arrested on Saturday, December 13, by officers of the anti-money laundering unit while attempting to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai.

He said customs officers had asked the passenger if he had any foreign currency to declare, but he answered in the negative.

Nwokorie said a subsequent search of the suspect’s luggage revealed 651,505 euros and 800,575 dollars concealed in his travelling bag.

He said the seized currencies, when converted to naira, were valued at N2.28 billion.

Nwokorie said the amount exceeded the legally permitted declaration threshold of 10,000 dollars or its equivalent.

He said the interception was carried out in line with existing laws empowering the customs service to curb illicit financial flows and enforce anti-money laundering regulations at Nigeria’s borders.

Nwokorie said: “These include Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1995; Sections 3(3 to 5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022; and Section 55(1) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.”

He said officers of the command resisted attempts at compromise and successfully prevented the funds from being smuggled out of the country.

Nwokorie warned that failure to declare foreign currency above the approved threshold attracts prosecution and forfeiture.

He clarified that carrying foreign currency above 10,000 dollars was not an offence, but failure to declare, false declaration or under-declaration constituted a violation of the law.

Nwokorie urged travellers engaged in legitimate business to make honest declarations at designated currency declaration desks in airport arrival and departure halls.

He said the suspect, his international passport and the seized currencies had been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.

Richard Adejumo, assistant commander of the EFCC, commended the customs service for effective inter-agency collaboration.

Adejumo said: “We will pick up the investigation from where the Nigeria Customs Service stopped; we will do justice to the case and ensure a thorough investigation.”

He added: “I appreciate the Customs Service for the synergy that led to the interception of this huge sum of undeclared foreign currencies at the airport.”