The Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday handed over the sum of €651,505 and $800,575, equivalent to N2.281bn, to operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Addressing journalists during the handover ceremony at the command, the Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Chidi Nwokorie, stated that the move was part of the command’s ongoing efforts to enforce customs regulations and collaborate with law enforcement agencies.
He stressed that the move also demonstrates the synergy that exists between the two agencies, noting that nothing gives energy to strategy like synergy.
“We are handing over the following seized undeclared foreign currencies, €651,505 and $800,575, which is equivalent to N2.281bn, to the EFCC. This is also a demonstration of the synergy that has been existing between the two agencies, knowing that nothing gives energy to strategy like synergy,” Nwokorie said.
Giving details of the interception, the CAC explained that it was made on Saturday at the Departure Terminal 2, “when Mr Kavlak Onal, an Austrian national with passport No. AP0084116, who was scheduled to travel on Emirates Airlines to Dubai, was asked if he had any currency to declare, and he said he didn’t have any.”
According to him, after conducting a search, the amount mentioned above was found in his travelling bag. Nwokorie added that the act contravenes extant laws that mandate all travellers, both inbound and outbound, to declare foreign currencies or negotiable instruments above the $10,000 threshold or its equivalent.
He stressed that the interception aligns with the laws and acts which empower and confer on the NCS the right to prevent illicit financial flows and ensure strict implementation of anti-money laundering obligations at all borders, “particularly Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1995; Section 3 (3–5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022; and Section 55 (1) of the NCS Act, 2023.”
“Meanwhile, the general public is hereby advised that carrying currency exceeding the legally approved threshold of $10,000 or its equivalent is not an offence. However, failure to declare, false declaration, or under-declaration of the prescribed amount constitutes an offence under the law,” Nwokorie advised.
He urged stakeholders engaged in legitimate business to make honest and full declarations of currency and other negotiable instruments above the threshold of $10,000 at the Currency Declaration Desks in the Arrival and Departure Halls of the airport, or risk being prosecuted and losing the money to the Federal Government.
“So, on behalf of the NCS and with the kind permission of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the said passenger, Mr Kavlak Onal, his international passport, and the undeclared currencies (€651,505 and $800,575) found on him are hereby duly handed over to the operatives of the EFCC for further necessary action,” he stressed.
The CAC also announced Nigeria’s delisting from the Grey List of the Financial Action Task Force. “This feat did not come easy nor cheaply. It took the quality leadership of our CGC, alongside the leadership of other concerned agencies, to achieve this. To them, Nigeria remains ever grateful,” Nwokorie concluded.
Nigeria’s restriction on passengers carrying more than $10,000 (or its equivalent) across its borders is rooted in efforts to curb money laundering, terrorism financing, smuggling, and illicit financial flows, while strengthening financial transparency and border control.
The regulation is primarily enforced by the NCS in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria and other security agencies. Under existing Nigerian law, any passenger entering or leaving the country with cash or negotiable instruments exceeding $10,000 must declare it to the Nigeria Customs Service. Failure to declare such funds constitutes an offence, even if the money was lawfully earned.
