A
24-year-old man has been nabbed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
for attempting to smuggle seven million dollars out of Nigeria.
The suspect,
identified as Abubakar Tijani Sheriff was arrested on September, 27, at the
Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos en route Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.
He was
apprehended at the point of boarding the plane by undercover agents of EFCC.
It was
learnt that Sheriff almost bawled when he discovered that the men who
surrounded him like fleas over a dog, were EFCC agents.
When he was
arrested, he tried to talk his way out of the jam, by first declaring that he
had a total sum of $4.5million on him.
But the agents, who were used to criminals
being pathological liars, carried out a thorough frisking.
They struck
gold. They discovered that he was actually carrying $7,049,444 (Seven million,
Forty Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty Four United States Dollars).
EFCC
spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, who confirmed the arrest, explained that
Sheriff confessed that he was a courier for twenty individuals who hired him to
courier the money for them to Dubai.
He added: “Investigations
by the EFCC showed that Sheriff is a regular traveller and one of several
couriers of illegal cash suspected to be proceeds of crime. His claims in
respect of his accomplices are still being investigated by the Commission.
“Travellers
leaving the country are statutorily required to declare cash in excess of
$10,000. However, it is not sufficient to declare excess cash, under the
provisions of the Money Laundering Act; the onus is on the person making the
declaration to explain the source of the excess cash and the reason for the
export.
“Experience has
shown that bulk cash smuggling, the world over, is usually associated with
proceeds of crime as legitimately earned funds are usually processed through
the banking system. Our experience in the last few years indicates an emerging
trend of bulk cash smuggling to Europe, Middle East and North America with the
attendant consequence for capital flight. Some Nigerian citizens are routinely
arrested at airports in Europe and North American for currency smuggling though
no such arrests have been recorded in the Middle East. But in all cases, the
money is lost as they are never repatriated back to the country.
“The
Commission warns travellers who for any reason want to move bulk cash out of
the country to do so through the banking system. Otherwise, they must be
prepared to declare it and explain the source of the money.|”
It is
gathered that EFCC has began a hunt for the individuals mentioned by Sheriff,
who used to give him the huge sums of money to courier for them.
Sheriff is
being detained at EFCC’s holding facility in Lagos State, awaiting his
arraignment in court.
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