Customs intercepts $29,000 cash from Indian travellers at Lagos airport
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Uncover of the Nigeria Customs Carrier (NCS) has intercepted an outbound passenger attempting to plod to India with $29,000 in undeclared cash, in breach of Nigeria’s anti-cash laundering laws.
The passenger, who at the beginning declared handiest $6,000, become as soon as flagged by Customs officers on Tuesday at the airport for untrue currency declaration in some unspecified time in the future of routine profiling.
The incident become as soon as disclosed by the Customs Location Comptroller, MMIA Uncover, Effiong Harrison, in some unspecified time in the future of a press briefing held after a sensitisation session on currency declaration for airline operators, facing companies, and individuals of the public.
Per the CAC, the passenger become as soon as intercepted at the anti-cash laundering desk in some unspecified time in the future of departure processing for an Emirates flight.
He acknowledged that upon extra interrogation and search, it become as soon as chanced on that the passenger become as soon as carrying $29,000 in cash, as an different of the $6,000 he had at the beginning declared, which constitutes a violation of currency declaration regulations.
“As is the course of, the passenger and the undeclared cash are being handed over to the Economic and Monetary Crimes Commission (EFCC) for added investigation and main motion,” he stated.
The Customs boss emphasised the importance of inter-company collaboration in safeguarding Nigeria’s financial integrity, including that efforts are being intensified to make certain pudgy compliance with laws regulating the motion of international currency, treasured metals, and other negotiable devices.
Receiving the cash and passport, the Assistant Commander, Economic and Monetary Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibinabo Amachree, while accepting the forfeited currencies and world passports to boot to the statements made by the suspects, stated the commission will expedite motion on the investigation and prosecution of this case.
Amachree, who represented the EFCC’s Performing Zonal Director of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Ghali Mohammed, acknowledged that it can well per chance extra give a buy to Nigeria’s popularity as it prepares to exit the Monetary Motion Process Power (FATF) Grey Checklist.
“We came here to hitch hands with the Nigerian Customs Carrier to boot to the Nigerian Monetary Intelligence Unit to buy consciousness amongst stakeholders on the necessity for every person to be compliant with currency declaration and preparation for the upcoming visit of the Monetary Motion Process Power team to Nigeria.
“This is a extraordinarily definite sort and may perhaps perhaps per chance merely aloof serve as a warning to participants carrying illicit funds that Nigeria will not be any longer a true haven for anybody looking out for to smuggle illicit cash or evade agreeable procedures,” she acknowledged.
