CRIME: Customs Arrest Passenger with $1.1m

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Customs’ Command yesterday arrested a passenger with $1.1 million, at the international wing of the Lagos Airport.

The passenger, identified as Professor Ofoegbu Charles Ononuju, said he is a Director of AZ Petroleum.

The Customs Area Comptroller, Charles Epowei Edike, said the passenger declared the currency both on forms CDF1A and CDF1B, but claimed he was travelling to Kenya to solve a dispute with Kenyan community over oil blocks .

He said this accounted for his resolve to travel with such huge amount of money.

Edike said the passenger and the currency have been handed over to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), for further investigation.

He explained that in 2012 , the Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, intercepted over $12,1 million from 14 persons who tried to take money out of the country in contravention of extant regulations.

Edike said the relevant government agency has been collaborating with Customs to ensure that the law takes its course on the matter.

He explained that the rise in the incidence of arrests of passengers trying to smuggle foreign currency is a fall out of the inter agency collaboration.