Austrian stopped at Lagos airport with €1.36 million in undeclared cash
Nigerian customs detained an Austrian citizen at Lagos airport with over €1.36 million in undeclared cash. The EFCC is investigating on suspicion of money laundering.
Million euro discovery at Lagos airport: Austrian halted shortly before Dubai flight
Shortly before his departure to Dubai, an Austrian citizen was stopped by Nigerian customs on 13 December at Murtala Muhammed international airport in Lagos. As reported by heute.at, officials from the anti-money-laundering unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) found substantial sums of cash when checking his luggage — despite the man having previously declared that he was carrying no cash.
Seized were €651,505 and US$800,575, totalling approximately €1.36 million or roughly 2.28 billion naira. The check at departure terminal 2 began around 14.45 and was triggered by a specific tip-off.
Customs commandant Chidi Nwokorie stated that the traveller had violated the applicable cash declaration regulations. His passport and cash were confiscated and handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has since led the investigation.
The EFCC is examining the case on suspicion of money laundering. Whether the Austrian was charged or taken into custody by 8 January was not known. The authorities made no statement regarding the source of the money or the purpose of the transport. The presumption of innocence applies.
The portal vol.at also reported a possible connection of the man to Vorarlberg. This information remained unconfirmed; an official statement from Austrian authorities was not available.
Nwokorie used the case to remind travellers once more of the declaration obligation: anyone carrying more than US$10,000 or the equivalent in another currency when entering or leaving is required to declare it. "If you have nothing to hide, you should have no fear in declaring the money openly," said Nwokorie. The NCS also published details of the operation on Instagram.
The EFCC investigation is ongoing, and the cash remains confiscated. When and whether the Austrian will be able to return to Austria remains unclear.
Source: BILD