The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted an undeclared $193,000 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The cash was smuggled inside a yoghurt carton by a passenger arriving from Saudi Arabia.
NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada said in a statement on Friday that the undeclared money was seized during routine airport inspections. The suspect had arrived in Nigeria on Ethiopian Airlines Flight No. 951 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“Acting on intelligence, customs officers conducted a detailed inspection, leading to the discovery of the concealed cash,” Maiwada said.
Under Nigerian law, travellers carrying over $10,000 or its equivalent in negotiable instruments must declare it upon arrival or departure. The suspect failed to do so, violating the Anti-Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
The seized funds have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
“As required by law, we are handing over the forfeited funds to the EFCC for further necessary action,” Maiwada added.
He also reminded travellers to follow legal requirements when transporting large sums of money across borders.
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