A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has remanded a Sierra Leonean national, Ahmed Shaw, for allegedly concealing $90,000 upon his arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.
Shaw was arraigned before Justice D.I. Dipeolu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following an investigation which revealed that the foreign national had purportedly failed to declare the funds to the Nigeria Customs Service.
It was gathered that the Sierra Leonean businessman was apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for the non-declaration of the said amount on arrival.
During the arraignment yesterday, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the case to 15 April 2025 for the commencement of trial, after the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him by the anti-graft agency.
Furthermore, the judge ordered that the defendant be remanded at a Correctional Centre pending the trial date.
Earlier reports indicated that the defendant was apprehended on Friday, 5 March 2025, by the NDLEA and handed over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, located at Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos, for further investigation.
Consequently, he was arraigned less than a month later on a one-count charge relating to alleged money laundering.
The charge reads: “That you, Alhaji Ahmed Shaw, on the 3rd day of March 2025, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, failed to declare the sum of $90,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.”
During proceedings, the defendant pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him. This prompted the prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie, to request a trial date and that the defendant be remanded in custody.
