Salisu Ahmad, a Kano-based businessman has been jailed by the Federal High Court in Kano for concealing huge sums of foreign currencies from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Salisu Ahmad was convicted after pleading guilty to a one-count charge of non-declaration of funds, instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The offence violates Sections 3(3) and 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Investigations revealed that Ahmad failed to declare the following amounts: $420,900 (Four Hundred and Twenty Thousand, Nine Hundred US Dollars), £5,825 (Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Five Pounds Sterling), CFA3,946,500 (Three Million, Nine Hundred and Forty-Six Thousand, Five Hundred West African CFA), and CFA224,000 (Two Hundred and Twenty-Four Thousand Cameroonian CFA).
The court held that Ahmad deliberately concealed this information from Customs officers, thereby contravening anti-money laundering regulations.
Ahmad was charged with “failing to make declaration” of foreign currencies worth over ₦653 million which he was “transporting… into Nigeria” from Saudi Arabia through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
The undeclared funds included “$420,900, £5,825, CFA3.9 million and Cameroonian CFA224,000”, an act described as “contrary to Sections 3(3) and 3(5)” of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
During proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Mustapha A. Maiwada, urged the court to convict Ahmad for failing to declare the foreign currencies at the point of entry into Nigeria.
Justice Shuaibu, aligning with Ahmad’s plea, pronounced him guilty and ordered the forfeiture of the entire undeclared sum to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Ahmad was apprehended on Monday, July 7, 2025, by NCS officers during a routine screening at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. A physical search revealed the currencies hidden inside a polythene bag wrapped in cloth and tucked away in his luggage.
On arrest, Ahmad claimed he was acting on behalf of his brother, Auwal Ahmad, who resides in Saudi Arabia.
He also stated that the funds were meant to be delivered to two individuals — Yusuf Adamu and Abdulhamid Rabiu — who were subsequently arrested when they came to collect the money.