The Nigeria Customs Service has made significant seizures of undeclared cash at various airports across the country between January and July 2025, totalling $2.209m. The interceptions were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.
An analysis of various reports obtained from the service showed that in March, the NCS intercepted $1,154,900 and SR135,900 in Saudi Riyals at the Kano airport from a passenger arriving from Saudi Arabia.
The undeclared funds were concealed in packs of palm dates. The suspect was arrested, and the funds were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, resulting in a court conviction and forfeiture to the Federal Government.
Other notable interceptions include the one in Abuja Airport, which was $193,000 in undeclared cash hidden in a carton of yoghurt from an inbound passenger arriving from Jeddah in March.
At the Lagos airport, $578,000 in falsely declared cash was intercepted from an inbound passenger arriving from South Africa in March. The passenger declared $279,000 but had an additional $299,000 concealed in multiple packages.
At the Kano airport, foreign currencies totaling approximately N653.99m, including $420,900, 3,946,500 West African CFA francs, 224,000 Central African CFA francs, and €5,825, were intercepted from a suspect arriving from Saudi Arabia in July. Also at the Lagos Airport, an outbound passenger was intercepted with $29,000, but only declared $6,000, violating currency declaration requirements.
Reacting to the development, a chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Pius Ujubuonu, attributed the surge in undeclared cash seizures to fiscal policy issues.
“It’s a fiscal policy issue. Anywhere you have high rates of circumvention, there is something that does not add up there,” he said. Ujubuonu advised the government to review its fiscal policy to encourage people to declare their cash.
Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Dr. Segun Musa, expressed concern that the campaign against undeclared cash is not enough.
“We need to do more rigorous campaigns to make the general public aware of the rules,” he said. Musa urged the government to conduct thorough investigations into the funds to determine appropriate punishments.
The Nigeria Customs Service has reiterated the importance of declaring cash when traveling. Travelers are required to declare any cash exceeding $10,000 or equivalent in other currencies. The service has also provided forms at airline counters for passengers to make lawful declarations.
