Customs Intercept Over $2.2m Undeclared Cash Being Snuggled Through Airports
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has uncovered a series of attempts to move large sums of undeclared foreign currency through the nation’s airports, with seizures between January and July 2025 amounting to $2.209 million.
According to details released from operational reports, officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano intercepted various consignments of foreign notes concealed in everyday items ranging from food packs to cartons.
One of the biggest busts occurred in March at the Kano airport, where a passenger returning from Saudi Arabia was found with $1,154,900 and SR135,900 stuffed into packets of palm dates.
The individual was detained, and the case was handed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which later secured a conviction and forfeiture of the funds to the federal government.
In the same month, $193,000 was discovered at Abuja airport hidden in a carton of yoghurt from a passenger arriving from Jeddah. In Lagos, another passenger arriving from South Africa declared $279,000 but was caught concealing an additional $299,000 in different packages, raising the total to $578,000.
More recently, in July, Kano officers seized mixed currencies worth N653.99m, including $420,900, 3,946,500 West African CFA francs, 224,000 Central African CFA francs, and €5,825, from another inbound flight from Saudi Arabia.
At Lagos airport, an outbound traveler who claimed to have just $6,000 was instead carrying $29,000, breaching mandatory disclosure laws.
Industry stakeholders have described the surge in seizures as a reflection of deeper problems. Mr. Pius Ujubuonu, a chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, linked the trend to gaps in fiscal measures.
“It’s a fiscal policy issue. Anywhere you have high rates of circumvention, there is something that does not add up there,” he said, urging government to reassess its policies to encourage proper cash declarations.
Dr. Segun Musa, Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, argued that enforcement alone will not solve the problem.
“We need to do more rigorous campaigns to make the general public aware of the rules,” he said, calling for wider investigations into the origins of intercepted funds.
The NCS has reiterated its stance that travelers must declare any cash exceeding $10,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency. Forms for declaration are now available at airline counters to simplify compliance.
With multiple arrests, prosecutions, and forfeitures already recorded in 2025, Customs officials maintain that the clampdown will continue as part of efforts to curb illicit financial flows and protect Nigeria’s economy.
Punch
