The Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, has intercepted a total of $578,000 that was falsely declared by an inbound passenger arriving from South Africa.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, John Harrison, disclosed this while addressing journalists on Friday. He identified the suspect as Mr. Okorie Sunday, who arrived in Nigeria on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, with the undeclared funds hidden on his body.
According to Harrison, the suspect’s suspicious behavior upon arrival prompted officers to conduct a search, leading to the discovery of the hidden cash.
“The passenger was said to have declared $279,000 and hid $299,000 on his body, bringing the total money to $578,000. This contravenes the threshold of $10,000 approved by law,” Harrison stated.
In addition to the cash, the suspect was also found with £100 and a counterfeit $250.
The intercepted funds have since been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after a joint verification process between customs and the anti-graft agency.
Harrison emphasized that such illegal financial activities undermine the integrity of the nation’s financial system. He noted that customs has provided declaration forms at airline counters to ensure compliance with financial regulations.
While receiving the seized funds, the acting Zonal Director of the EFCC, Ahmed Ghali, urged the public to adhere to financial laws.
“Such an act exposes the country to money laundering and could make the country look like a hub for illicit financial inflows,” Ghali warned.
He added that the EFCC would carry out further investigations to verify the authenticity of the money and determine the appropriate legal action.
