A 41-year-old man identified as Ifeanacho Marcellinus Ugbor was arrested by Nigerian Customs officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for allegedly possessing fake $10,000.
The suspect was arrested on Friday, November 10, 2023, as he was about to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight (ET900) bound for Brazil. At the time of arrest, the suspect was in possession of a valid Nigerian passport.
While exposing the suspect to the press, Ikeja MMIA Customs Superintendent Charles Olubihi Comptroller said the suspect’s act, in addition to being a fake, violated Section 15 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act (Amendment) No. 11 of 2011 and No. 1 of 2012,
According to the Controller, the passenger violated some of the said provisions and is under the jurisdiction of the Controller.
The passenger, identified as IFEANACHO MARCELLINUS UGBOR, is a 41-year-old Nigerian from Enugu State, in possession of a valid Nigerian Standard Passport Number B00033052, who on Friday, November 10, 2023, from Murtala Muhammad International Airport to Ethiopian Airlines (flight ET900) to Brazil on Friday, November 10, 2023, allegedly in violation of Nigeria’s Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
“The above suspect declared US$10,000 on our currency declaration form, so our officers went a step further and inspected the currency in accordance with Section 66 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, and they (officers) discovered that the entire US$10,000 was a forgery. The suspects were detained for further investigation, refraining from traveling.
I attribute this accomplishment to the diligence of our officers. We have eagle-eyed officers in our command who work 24/7 to fight all customs-related crimes and bring the perpetrators into the limelight.
We will hand over the counterfeit currency valued at US$10,000 to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the suspect, a valid Nigerian standard passport number B00033052, two cell phones, and baggage for necessary action.”
