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By Lizzy Chirkpi
A man has been sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of a N400,000 fine for failing to declare £8,020 and $704 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi delivered the verdict on Friday, May 2, 2025.
Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu was apprehended in December 2024 by men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) for not declaring the foreign currencies.
He was subsequently handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and later arraigned on two counts of money laundering on April 15, 2025.
One of the charges stated that Okechukwu failed to declare £8,020 to the NCS upon his departure from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, an offense punishable under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Okechukwu pleaded guilty to both charges. During the fact review, an EFCC operative, Abubakar Magaji, informed the court that Okechukwu possessed a total of £15,020 and $704. While he declared £7,000, he concealed £8,020 and the $704, claiming the undeclared funds were intended to cover the cost of repatriating his deceased brother’s body.
In her ruling on Friday, Justice Bogoro convicted Okechukwu and sentenced him to six months imprisonment on each count, with an alternative of a N200,000 fine per count, totaling N400,000. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared sums of £8,020 and $704 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.