By our correspondent
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced investigation into a suspect, Haruna Yusuf, following the interception of $73,000, £15,957 and 827,800 Saudi riyals at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
The foreign currencies were intercepted by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service during routine screening of arriving passengers between August 8 and 12, 2026.
The suspect and the recovered currencies were handed over to the Kano Zonal Directorate of the EFCC by the Acting Customs Area Comptroller, Kano/Jigawa Command, Deputy Comptroller U.U. Adamu, at the Customs Area Command in Kano.
According to a statement by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Monday, the Customs made two separate interceptions at the airport.
Oyewale said that on August 8, at about 2:20pm, Customs officers screening passengers at the baggage section of the airport intercepted an unaccompanied Saudi Air luggage containing 827,800 Saudi riyals and $53,300.
He said the currencies were concealed inside footwear.
Oyewale added that on August 12, at about 1:50pm, Customs officers flagged a luggage belonging to Yusuf, who arrived at the airport aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET941.
“During secondary screening using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, $20,000 USD and £15,957 were found concealed inside sportswear shoes,” he said.
Adamu subsequently handed over Yusuf and the recovered currencies to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
He said the action was in line with Section 4(f) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, which empowers the service to collaborate with other border regulatory agencies.
The Customs boss said the interceptions demonstrated the vigilance of officers in detecting cross-border movement of undeclared foreign currencies above the permitted threshold.
He added that the command would continue to deploy technology, professional expertise and intelligence-driven measures to strengthen border controls and protect Nigeria’s financial system.
Receiving the suspect and exhibits on behalf of the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, the Acting Zonal Director of the Kano Directorate, ACE1 Friday S. Ebelo, commended the Customs Service for its cooperation with EFCC officers recently deployed to the airport.
Ebelo said the EFCC and Customs must sustain vigilance at Nigeria’s entry points to check the illegal movement of currency.
He said failure to declare large sums of currency and their equivalents was a violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The EFCC official urged members of the public to comply with the law, stressing that declaring currency did not attract any penalty, while the source of undeclared funds could raise legal concerns.
He said the EFCC would conduct a thorough investigation and prosecute the matter in accordance with the law.
Both officials commended the existing collaboration between the EFCC and NCS, describing it as crucial to the fight against financial crimes and illegal movement of cash across Nigeria’s borders.