EFCC investigates suspect caught with $265,000 cash at Kano airport

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has started looking into a suspect caught with US$265,000 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano State.

The EFCC said that officers from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) caught the suspect, Adam Musa Adam, during a normal screening operation.

A statement from the EFCC on Tuesday said Mr Adam, who holds a Nigerian passport, was arriving from New Delhi on Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET941. Customs officials intercepted him on Sunday, 26 September.

"His luggage was flagged for secondary examination using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, leading to the discovery of the undeclared currency hidden among his personal belongings," the statement noted.

The statement added that Customs officials handed over the suspect and the cash to the EFCC at the Customs office in Kano.

During the handover, the Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Usman Umar Adamu, explained that carrying foreign currency over the legal limit without declaration breaks Sections 3 and 4 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, as well as parts of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

He pointed out that since January, his command has seized undeclared foreign currency and other financial instruments worth over N2.5 billion.

He stressed that the handover followed Section 4(f) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

Receiving the suspect and cash for the EFCC, the Kano Acting Zonal Director, Friday Ebelo, said the handover shows the joint effort to clean up the country’s financial system.

He called the event a good example of teamwork between agencies, from the operations at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport to the handover process.

"The EFCC will continue its work by further investigating and prosecuting this case to the end. In the life of a people, there comes a time when certain institutions become a source of hope by protecting our economy from illegal financial activities," he said.

He thanked the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for supporting the partnership.

He also praised Mr Adamu and his team for their carefulness and dedication to enforcing laws about moving currency across borders.