The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into the interception of $86,500 (Eighty-Six Thousand Five Hundred US Dollars), 305,150 Saudi Riyals (Three Hundred and Five Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty Riyals), and 200 Euros by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
The foreign currencies, discovered in an unaccompanied bag suspected to have been smuggled into the country, were seized on Sunday, 27 April 2025, after a clearing agent, Sale Bala, attempted to retrieve the luggage. Upon inspection, Customs officers uncovered the money concealed inside bedspreads (duvets) and date packs within the bag.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Bala and a second suspect, Abdullahi Tahir, who was allegedly assigned to receive the bag after clearance. The seized funds were officially handed over to the EFCC’s Kano Zonal Directorate by Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) Abdulahi Hashim and received by Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE II) Aminu Bashir.
Both suspects remain in EFCC custody and will be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded.
The Commission praised the Nigeria Customs Service for its vigilance, emphasising the importance of collaboration in combating financial crimes.
This seizure comes just a day after the EFCC, ICPC, and Nigeria Customs Service jointly held a sensitisation programme on 26 April 2025, educating stakeholders—including bureau de change operators, travel agencies, airport authorities, pilgrim boards, and the Kano Chamber of Commerce & Industry—on legal requirements for cash movement in and out of Nigeria.
The EFCC reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing financial regulations, warning that unauthorised movement of large sums of cash violates Nigerian laws. The agency urged the public to adhere to proper financial declaration protocols to avoid legal consequences.
Investigations are ongoing, with authorities vowing to intensify efforts to curb illicit financial flows through Nigeria’s borders.
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