The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into Duru Ikechukwu Damian, who was arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for allegedly failing to declare $59,000 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
In a statement posted on its official X account on Wednesday, the EFCC said Damian was intercepted by customs officers on Monday during a routine check at the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk. He was reportedly en route to Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight.
According to the EFCC, Damian initially declared only $10,000, but a subsequent search uncovered an additional $49,000, bringing the total to $59,000.
During the handover to the EFCC on Tuesday, Airport Area Comptroller E. I. Harrison said the process formed part of the NCS’s ongoing enforcement drive.
“When we intercept currencies, we do the needful by handing them over to the appropriate agencies of government. We have carried out sensitisation and public announcements, including electronic signages and periodic broadcasts, reminding travellers to declare their currencies. Yet, some individuals still fail to comply with the law,” Harrison stated.
Receiving the suspect, Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC Lagos Directorate 2, ACE I Ahmed Ghali, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to strict enforcement.
“We are here to take over one of the recalcitrant Nigerians who do not want to abide by the law in relation to money laundering. Laws are meant to be obeyed, and we will ensure that any individual who violates them does not go scot-free,” Ghali said.
The EFCC has confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
