The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized undeclared foreign currencies valued at approximately N2.28 billion from an Austrian national at Lagos airport.
Comptroller Chidi Nwokorie, Customs Area Controller at MMIA, disclosed the seizure on Tuesday while briefing journalists.
Nwokorie explained that the suspect, Mr. Kavlak Onal, an Austrian citizen, was arrested by officers of the Anti-Money Laundering Unit on Saturday, December 13, as he attempted to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai.
Customs officers reportedly asked Onal whether he was carrying any currency to declare, to which he replied in the negative. A search of his luggage, however, uncovered 651,505 euros and 800,575 dollars, hidden in his travel bag.
The combined amount, when converted to Naira, totals N2.28 billion, far exceeding the legally permitted declaration threshold of $10,000 or its equivalent.
The controller emphasized that the interception was conducted in accordance with existing laws empowering the Customs Service to curb illicit financial flows and enforce anti-money laundering regulations. These include Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1995, Sections 3(3-5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and Section 55(1) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
Nwokorie noted that officers resisted attempts to compromise the operation and successfully prevented the funds from being smuggled out of Nigeria. He clarified that while carrying foreign currency above $10,000 is not illegal, failure to declare, under-declaration, or false declaration constitutes a violation of the law.
He urged travelers conducting legitimate business to make honest declarations at designated currency declaration desks in airport arrivals and departures to avoid legal consequences.
The seized currencies, along with the suspect and his international passport, were formally handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Mr. Richard Adejumo, praised the Customs Service for the successful inter-agency collaboration. He assured that the commission would continue the investigation and ensure the matter is thoroughly addressed.
“We will pick up the investigation from where the Nigeria Customs Service stopped. We will do justice to the case and ensure a thorough investigation. I appreciate the Customs Service for the synergy that led to the interception of this huge sum of undeclared foreign currencies at the airport,” Adejumo said.
