Customs Smashes Major Currency Smuggling Attempt At Kano Airport: Woman Caught With $1.15 Million

The woman was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to two counts of money laundering before Justice S. M. Shuaibu at the Federal High Court in Kano. Ibrahim’s arrest occurred at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport when officers from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) intercepted her for attempting to bring in undeclared funds from Saudi Arabia.

According to a statement from EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Ibrahim failed to declare the funds as required by law, leading to her immediate arrest. After her detention, she was transferred to the EFCC for further investigation and legal action.

Ibrahim was subsequently charged with two counts of money laundering under Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. During her court hearing, she pleaded guilty to both charges.

Following her admission, prosecution counsel Musa Isah presented evidence, including the undeclared funds, urging the court to convict Ibrahim. Justice Shuaibu allowed Ibrahim an allocutus, where she shared her side of the story with the court. Ibrahim explained that a man named Nafiu in Saudi Arabia had approached her to transport a box, claiming it contained dates and a small amount of money. Trusting Nafiu, she agreed to carry the box.

Upon arriving in Kano, Ibrahim contacted the woman Nafiu had given her as a contact. The woman met her at the airport, and Ibrahim handed over the box. However, after leaving the airport, she was called back by airport officials who asked for her passport to clear the box, as she was the one who had brought it into Nigeria. Ibrahim was arrested upon her return and shown the contents of the box she had carried.