THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into one Duru Ikechukwu Damian, arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for allegedly failing to declare $59,000 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Damian was intercepted by NCS operatives on Monday, August 11, 2025, during a routine check at the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk. He was scheduled to travel to Dubai on Emirates Airline and initially claimed to be carrying only $10,000. A search, however, uncovered an additional $49,000, bringing the total to $59,000.
Speaking during the handover of the suspect to the EFCC on Tuesday, August 12, the NCS Area Comptroller at the airport, E.I. Harrison, said travellers were regularly reminded—through announcements and electronic signage—of the legal requirement to declare cash above the approved threshold.
Receiving the suspect, Acting Zonal Director of EFCC Lagos Directorate 2, ACE1 Ahmed Ghali, warned that the agency would continue to enforce anti-money laundering laws.
“Laws are meant to be obeyed,” Ghali said. “Anyone who violates them will not go scot-free.”
