Man Held Over Undeclared $265,000 At Kano Airport

A traveller, Adam Musa Adam, has been arrested at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) with $265,000 allegedly concealed in his luggage and not declared to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The suspect was arrested by operatives of the NCS and handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for investigation.

The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement.

According to him, Adam, a Nigerian passport holder arriving from New Delhi aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET941, was intercepted on Sunday during routine screening by Customs officers.

“His luggage was flagged for secondary examination using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, leading to the discovery of the undeclared currency concealed among his personal belongings,” Oyewale said.

He said the Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Usman Adamu, subsequently handed over the suspect and the exhibits to the EFCC.

Adamu said the movement of foreign currency above the approved threshold without declaration contravened Sections 3 and 4 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, as well as relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

According to Oyewale, the command had, from January to date, intercepted undeclared foreign currency and other negotiable instruments with a total value of more than N2.5 billion.

He said the Kano Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Friday Ebelo, received the suspect on behalf of the commission.

Ebelo described the handover as an example of inter-agency collaboration and assured that the EFCC would investigate and prosecute the case in accordance with the law.

“The EFCC will conduct and carry out its established mandate by further investigating and prosecuting this case to its logical conclusion.

“In the life of a people, there comes a time that certain institutions become the beacon of hope by safeguarding our economy against illicit financial flows,” he said.

The EFCC commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, for creating an enabling environment for the collaboration, as well as Adamu and his officers for their vigilance and enforcement of laws governing cross-border movement of currency. (Daily trust)