By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun investigating one Duru Damian, arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for allegedly failing to declare $49,000 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said Damian was intercepted on Monday during a routine check at the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk. He was scheduled to board an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai.
According to Oyewale, the suspect initially claimed he had only $10,000 in his possession. However, a search revealed an additional $49,000, bringing the total amount to $59,000, of which $49,000 was undeclared.
Handing over the money to the EFCC, the Area Comptroller in charge of the NCS at the airport, Effiong Harrison, lamented the persistent refusal of some travellers to comply with Nigeria’s currency declaration laws.
“Today, we are having a process that we have been doing over a period of time now. When we intercept currencies, we do the needful of handing over to the appropriate agencies of government,” Harrison said. He noted that despite sustained sensitisation campaigns, public announcements, and visible electronic signages at airports, some passengers continue to flout the regulations.
Receiving the suspect, Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Assistant Commander Ahmed Ghali, stressed the commission’s commitment to enforcing anti-money laundering laws.
“We are here to take over one of the recalcitrant Nigerians who do not want to abide with the law in relation to money laundering. We will not relent in enforcing the law. Laws are meant to be obeyed, and we will ensure that any individual who violates them does not go scot-free,” Ghali stated.
Under Nigerian law, travellers are required to declare any cash or equivalent exceeding $10,000 upon entry or exit. The EFCC said investigations into Damian’s case are ongoing.
