The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday handed over 7 million CFA (N17 million) intercepted by its operatives to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Customs Area Comptroller, Ogun 1 Area Command, Mr. Mohammed Shuaibu, handed over the money to the Assistant Commander of EFCC, Head of Investigation, Lagos Zone 2, Mr. Oguzi Moses, at Idiroko, Ogun State.
He said: “The operatives of the command on duty at the outward baggage hall, while searching for passenger bags en route from Nigeria to the Benin Republic on March 20, spotted a bag suspected to be carrying unlawful content.
“After a thorough search, it was discovered that the bag contained new mint foreign currency notes, comprising the amount stashed in 5,000 CFA denominations, which is an equivalent of a total sum of N17 million in Nigerian currency.”
Shuaibu stressed that failure to declare cash to the tune of the seized amount was contrary to the Anti-money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1995.
In his remark, Moses reaffirmed the EFCC’s commitment to safeguarding our nation’s borders.
“Your professionalism and dedication have once again ensured that illicit financial activities do not go unchecked.
“As we take over this case, the EFCC will conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding this interception and ensure that due process is followed,” he stated.