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An officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday told the Federal High Court in Lagos how an Austrian national, Kavlak Onal, was intercepted with $800,575 and €651,505 in undeclared cash at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.
Mr Onal is standing trial before Judge Yelim Bogoro on two counts of failure to declare the funds, contrary to Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.
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Testifying as the first prosecution witness, Yusuf Suleiman, a profiling officer with the NCS at the airport, said the defendant was stopped on 16 December 2025 while preparing to board an Emirates flight to Dubai.
According to him, a protocol officer had approached him at his duty post requesting assistance for a passenger described as “sick” who needed help at the boarding gate.
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“I asked the protocol officer whether the passenger had any currency to declare, and he said the passenger told him he had none,” Mr Suleiman said, according to a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale.
He told the court that he insisted on confirming directly from the passenger.
“In the presence of my colleague, Joshua Ogundire, we asked him if he had any money to declare and he said he did not,” the witness said.
Discovery of the cash
Mr Suleiman said he subsequently directed that the defendant’s luggage be searched.
“During the search, a huge amount of money was discovered in different denominations — United States dollars and euros,” he said.
According to him, the bag was filled with cash, prompting him to escalate the matter to his superior officer.
The witness further alleged that the defendant attempted to persuade the officers not to proceed with official reporting.
“When my colleague stepped out, Mr Onal pleaded that he could raise some amount for him so he could let him go. He also pleaded with us not to make calls, saying he could settle us and leave,” Mr Suleiman testified.
The money was later counted in a search room and confirmed to be $800,575 and €651,505.
He added that some of the cash was bundled, while others were kept in envelopes bearing inscriptions.
Declaration requirement
Explaining the procedure, the witness said passengers carrying funds exceeding $10,000 or its equivalent are required to declare the amount at the Customs Currency Declaration Desk.
He said the airport regularly makes public announcements to that effect and has visible signage at inbound and outbound terminals guiding passengers on electronic declaration procedures.
“Passengers can declare before coming to the airport, at home, or within the airport premises electronically,” he said.
Mr Suleiman told the court that the defendant admitted he was aware of the declaration requirement as a frequent traveller and had previously travelled with between $20,000 and $30,000, though not as much as the amount found in his luggage on the day in question.
He said the defendant’s statement was taken and he was handed over, along with the recovered funds, passport and boarding pass, to the Area Comptroller.
The case was subsequently transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Dispute over statement
During the proceedings, prosecution lawyer Bilikisu Buhari sought to tender the defendant’s statement through the witness.
However, defence lawyer Victor Okpara, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), objected, arguing that the statement was not voluntarily made and was a “product of unacceptable inducement.”
He urged the court to conduct a trial-within-trial to determine its admissibility.
Following the objection, the prosecution withdrew the document, and the court granted the request.
Cross-examination
Under cross-examination, Mr Suleiman said he has been with the NCS since 2011 and is responsible for monitoring, controlling and profiling passengers to ensure compliance with currency declaration laws.
He confirmed that airport signage is written in English and French.
He also acknowledged that the defendant’s statement was taken at the Customs desk without a lawyer present but maintained that it was made voluntarily and without duress.
The witness disagreed with the defence’s suggestion that the defendant had disclosed he had money in his luggage but did not know the exact amount.
He insisted that Mr Onal stated he had no money to declare.
Mr Bogoro adjourned the matter until 27 February for continuation of trial.
The EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 arraigned Mr Onal on 9 January on two counts.
Count one alleges that he failed to declare $800,575 to the Nigeria Customs Service at the airport, while count two alleges failure to declare €651,505, offences punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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