By AISHA COLE

Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted undeclared foreign currencies worth about N2.28 billion from an Austrian national at the Lagos airport.

The Customs Area Controller, MMIA Command, Comptroller Chidi Nwokorie, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos while briefing newsmen on the seizure.

Nwokorie said the suspect, identified as Mr. Kavlak Onal, an Austrian citizen, was arrested by officers of the Anti-Money Laundering Unit on Saturday, Dec. 13, while attempting to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai.

According to him, Customs officers asked the passenger if he had any currency to declare, but he answered in the negative.

A subsequent search of his luggage, however, revealed 651,505 euro and 800,575 dollars concealed in his travelling bag.

He said the seized amounts, when converted to Naira, were valued at N2.28 billion and exceeded the legally-permitted declaration threshold of 10,000 dollars or its equivalent.

Nwokorie said the interception was in line with extant laws empowering the Customs Service to prevent illicit financial flows and enforce anti-money laundering regulations at the nation’s borders.

“These include Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1995; Sections 3(3 to 5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022; and Section 55(1) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023,” he said.

The controller noted that officers of the command resisted attempts at compromise and successfully stopped the funds from being smuggled out of the country.

He warned that failure to declare foreign currency above the approved threshold attracts prosecution and forfeiture.

He clarified that carrying foreign currency above 10,000 dollars was not an offence, but failure to declare, false declaration or under-declaration constituted a violation of the law.

Nwokorie urged travellers engaged in legitimate business to make honest declarations at designated currency declaration desks in airport arrival and departure halls to avoid legal consequences.

He announced that the suspect, his international passport and the seized currencies had been formally handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.

Responding, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Mr Richard Adejumo, commended the Customs Service for the effective inter-agency collaboration.

He said the commission would continue investigations from where Customs stopped and ensure the matter was thoroughly handled.

“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. (NAN)

• PHOTO: From left, Assistant Commander of EFCC, Richard Adejumo, Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Chidi Nwokorie, and DC NI Maduemezie, Deputy Comptroller in charge of Administration, during the handover at Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday

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