The Federal High Court in Kano has convicted a woman of smuggling over $1.15 million and SDR135,900 (Saudi Riyal) from Saudi Arabia into Nigeria.
The court convicted the defendant, Hauwa Ibrahim, after she pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering.
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A statement from the EFCC on Thursday said trial judge S. M. Shuaibu ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared money to the federal government in line with Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
According to the statement, Ms Ibrahim was arrested by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport for attempting to smuggle an undeclared sum of $1,154,900 and SDR135,900 Saudi Riyals into Nigeria from Saudi Arabia.
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The defendant was accused of failing to declare the funds at the point of entry into Nigeria as required by law.
Following her arrest, the Nigeria Customs Service handed her over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
The EFCC thereafter charged with two counts of money laundering under Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
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She pleaded guilty to both counts when they were read to her.
Following her guilty plea, the prosecuting lawyer, Musa Isah, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered exhibits including the undeclared monies and subsequently urged the court to convict her accordingly.
‘I was deceived’
Pleading allocutus (pleading for mercy), Ms Ibrahim narrated said she deceived into bringing a box containing the undeclared funds into Nigeria, trusting the owner’s .
Ms Ibrahim recounted how she was approached by a man, Nafiu in Saudi Arabia to enlist her help in carrying a box to Nigeria to a woman whose name was not disclosed.
She said Nafiu informed her that the box contained dates and a small amount of cash and that he took him at his word.
He also gave her the contact information of the woman, whom she called upon arrival into the country and handed over the box.
Ms Ibrahim explained that she was later recalled by the airport authorities to return with her international passport and clear the box.
On landing at the Kano airport, Ms Ibrahim said, she called the number given to her by Nafiu and the woman, who answered the call came.
She said she handed over the box to her. However, after leaving the airport, she was recalled by the airport authorities to return with her passport to clear the box as she was the one that brought it to Nigeria.
Upon her arrival, she was arrested and was shown the contents of the box she flew in with.
She pleaded with the court to spare her as she had no knowledge of the contents of the box and that she was deceived by the sender who told her that the box only contained dates and small amount of money.
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After listening to her, the judge went on to convict her as charged and ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared money.
Other cases of falsely declared funds
Ms Ibrahim is not the first to be convicted for not declaring funds. In 2016, this newspaper reported how in 2016, one Agumandu Nnamdi was convicted for money laundering.
Mr Nnamdi had falsely declared only $9,500 instead of $51,000 on his way to China on an alleged business trip.
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