Customs Intercepts N653.9 Million in Undeclared Foreign Currencies at Kano Airport

Customs Intercepts N653.9 Million in Undeclared Foreign Currencies at Kano Airport

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted foreign currencies valued at N653.9 million at the Aminu Kano International Airport, seizing them from a suspect identified as Ahmed Salisu.

According to the NCS, Salisu—a Kano indigene holding a Ghanaian passport (G5347658)—arrived from Saudi Arabia on Monday at 12:15 p.m. aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight. He failed to declare the large sum in his possession when prompted by customs officers, violating Section 3 of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 and Section 55 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

The interception was announced at a joint press briefing in Kano by Dalhatu Abubakar, Comptroller of Customs for the Kano/Jigawa Area Command and Ibrahim Shazali, Zonal Director of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“The law requires travelers with currencies or other negotiable instruments in excess of 10,000 United States Dollars to declare to Customs and where a person fails to make such declaration, they shall be arrested,” the Customs stated.

Upon searching Salisu and his luggage based on intelligence reports, officials recovered the following currencies:

$420,900 USD

3,946,500 CFA Francs (XOF)

224,000 CFA Francs (XAF)

£5,825 Pounds Sterling

“The total amount of interception in Naira is valued at N653,987,268,” said Comptroller Abubakar.

He added: “It is important to mention that the ever-changing dynamics of these criminals presents a challenge to law enforcement. The concealment of these huge amounts of currencies in cartons of clothing represents the height of desperation to distract attention.”

Read also: Customs, EFCC Intensify Airport Surveillance to Curb Money Laundering

Speaking on the broader implications, he stressed:

“Terrorists acquire weapons, machinery and other logistics to inflict harm on our citizens without which they cannot operate. Therefore, as our law enforcement agencies take on the fight to the criminals, we must also seek to cut the very oxygen that sustains the crime which is the financing.”

The suspect and the seized exhibits were handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.

Describing the act as “illegal cash smuggling,” Shazali remarked:

“Attempting to circumvent our financial laws and border controls is a futile and costly endeavour.”