A 41-year-old man identified as Ifeanacho Marcellinus Ugbor has been arrested by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for allegedly being in possession of fake $10,000.
The suspect was arrested while trying to board an Ethiopian Airline (flight ET900) to Brazil on Friday November 10, 2023. As at the time of his arrest, the suspect was with a valid Nigerian passport.
While parading the suspect before newsmen, the Customs Area Controller, MMIA Command, Ikeja, Comptroller Charles Orbihi, said aside from being fake, the action of the suspect violates section 15 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (As Amended) Act No 11, 2011 and Act No1, 2012,
The Controller said the passenger contravened a part of the section within, which according to him is with the jurisdiction of the Service.
“This passenger, named IFEANACHO MARCELLINUS UGBOR, is a forty-one (41) years old Nigerian from Enugu State with a valid Nigerian Standard passport No. B00033052 who was scheduled to travel from Murtala Muhammad International Airport with the Ethiopian Airline (flight ET900) to Brazil on Friday 10th November, 2023 was suspected to have contravened the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of Nigeria.
“The above-named suspect, having declared the sum of $10,000 USD on our Currency Declaration Form, our officers took a step further to examine the currency in line with section 66 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, and they (officers) discovered that the sum of $10,000 United States Dollars were all counterfeit. The suspect was refrained from travelling and detained for further investigation.
“This achievement was as a result of due diligence of our officers. We have eagle eyes officers in this Command, they are ready to work for twenty-four (24) hours of the day and seven (7) days of the week (24/7) combating all Customs related crimes and bringing to limelight the perpetrators.
“We hereby handover the sum of $10,000 USD counterfeited currency to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the suspect, a valid Nigerian Standard passport No. B00033052, two phones and his baggage for further necessary action” he said.