Court Convicts Igboezue Emeka for Non-declaration of $40,000

He was asked to spend one month in jail from the day of his arrest, Wednesday, February 12, 2025, in a judgment delivered on Friday, April 4, 2025.

He was brought before Justice Owoeye by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a false currency declaration to the tune of $40,000.

It was gathered that the convict was arrested on February 12 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for non-declaration of $40,000.

The NCS had, on the same day, handed him over to the anti-money laundering agency for further investigations and prosecution.

Consequently, he was arraigned on Friday on a one-count charge bordering on money laundering, which he pleaded guilty to when it was read to him.

“That you, Igboezue Emeka, on or about the 12th day of February, 2025, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, within the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $40,000 to the Nigerian Customs Service and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering Act, No. 14 of 2022 and punishable under Section 3 (5) of the same Act,” the charge read.

After pleading guilty to the solitary charge, the prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, called on an operative of the EFCC, Mr Michael Olayemi, to review the facts of the case.

Mr Olayemi, while narrating to the court about the events that led to the investigation of the defendant, said, “At 1.20 pm on February 12, 2025, we got an intelligence report from the Nigerian Customs Service that it intercepted the defendant with the monetary exhibit of the sum of $40,000.

“Upon this, I detailed that one of my team leads, Lanre Michael, who I supervise, would go and pick the individual and the exhibit from the Nigeria Customs at Murtala Mohammed Airport.”

Continuing, he said: “At about 4 pm, he reported with the defendant, the monetary exhibit and the defendant’s international passport. The defendant was in possession of two phones, which he used to call his lawyer and relatives.

“In the presence of his relatives, he volunteered his statement under words of caution, where he admitted that he was travelling via Qatar Air to Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

“He also stated that he was accosted by Customs Officers, where he was asked if he had any currency on him to declare, to which he said No.”

Mr Olaremi further told the court that, “The statement warranted me to invite the personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogar Sadin John.

“John, in his statement, said that when he accosted Igboezue, he claimed that he had no money. He, however, said he was sceptical.

“Upon searching him, he found the money hidden in one of his shoes in his hand luggage,” adding that the monetary exhibit was registered with the exhibit keeper, while the suspect was served with an administrative bail.

Omewa, thereafter, sought to tender the defendant’s statement and the monetary exhibit recovered from him.