A man Agudosi Okechukwu has been sentenced to six months imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, for failing to declare foreign currencies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Penpushing reports the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) made this known in a statement recalling that the operatives of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) arrested him in December 2024, for refusing to declare £8,020 and $704 at the airport.
The statement added that the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS)T handed him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and possible prosecution, and was subsequently charged with two counts of money laundering and arraigned him on April 15.
Penpushing further reports that the statement added that one of the offences was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
‘Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 stipulates that any individual who falsely declares or fails to declare funds or negotiable instruments to the Nigerian Customs Service, as required under the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, commits an offence’.
Penpushing also reports that the law requires individuals arriving in Nigeria to declare any foreign currency or negotiable instruments exceeding $10,000 or its equivalent to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).
The prosecution told the court that the defendant’s statement was recorded under caution, arguing that he failed to make the declaration because he claimed to have suffered a loss and was going to bring back the corpse of his brother.
Penpushing reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the statement said Okechukwu submitted the death certificate of his brother, his brother’s pictures and other documents.
The accused, however, pleaded guilty to the charges and following this the, prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie called on Abubakar Magaji, an operative of the commission, to review the facts of the case.
Penpushing further reports that the trail judge, Justice Bogoro having found him guilty sentenced him to six months in jail with an option of N200,000.
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