The Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, has intercepted $578,000 in undeclared cash from an inbound passenger arriving from South Africa.
The passenger, Okorie Sunday, was found to have hidden $299,000 on his body, in addition to the $279,000 he declared, exceeding the approved threshold of $10,000.
According to Customs Area Controller John Harrison, the passenger’s suspicious behavior upon arrival led to a search, revealing the concealed cash, as well as £100 and a counterfeit $250.
The seized cash was handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
The EFCC’s Acting Zonal Director, Ahmed Ghali, emphasized the importance of declaring cash exceeding $10,000, warning that failure to do so can expose the country to money laundering and damage its financial reputation.