The anti-graft agency, EFCC, has confirmed that two men were arrested at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos with undeclared foreign currency exceeding the approved limit.
The EFCC said the two suspects possessed undeclared cash of “$6,180 and £53,415.” Passengers travelling with cash above $10,000 are expected to declare it to airport authorities while travelling.
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Sources at the airport had earlier told PREMIUM TIMES about the arrest of the suspects, but said the cash found on them exceeded $6.1 million. The EFCC’s clarification, however, indicates the amount is much lower than that.
The sources said the suspects were apprehended by officials of the Aviation Security (AVSEC) unit of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at the domestic terminal of the airport and were handed over to the EFCC.
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“We are still working with the EFCC to unravel the full details,” a senior AVSEC official had told PREMIUM TIMES before the EFCC statement.
EFCC speaks
In its statement issued on Saturday evening, the EFCC named the two suspects as Mamud Nasidi and Yahaya Nasidi.
“EFCC commences investigation of two suspects for undeclared $6,180 and £53,415 at Lagos Airport,” the anti-graft agency said in an X post on Saturday.
According to the statement, operatives from the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the commission are leading the probe following the arrest by FAAN officials.
The suspects were reportedly intercepted during a routine airport check on Saturday at the point of boarding a flight to Abuja.
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The EFCC said investigations revealed that the suspects had just arrived in Nigeria from Dubai via Addis Ababa.
Following their arrest, the EFCC said the travellers were handed over to the State Security Service (SSS), which subsequently transferred them to the EFCC for further interrogation and possible prosecution.
The commission added that three mobile phones were also recovered from the suspects during the operation.
According to the EFCC, the exhibits and suspects were received by Margaret Lamai on behalf of the commission’s acting zonal director, Ahmed Ghali.
