The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted undeclared cash worth $2.209m at different airports across the country between January and July 2025.
The interceptions, which took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, involved both inbound and outbound passengers.
An analysis of reports obtained from the service revealed that in March, the NCS seized $1,154,900 and SR135,900 in Saudi Riyals at the Kano airport from a passenger arriving from Saudi Arabia. The undeclared funds, concealed in packs of palm dates, were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after the suspect’s arrest, leading to a court conviction and forfeiture to the Federal Government.
In Abuja, another notable interception in March involved $193,000 in undeclared cash hidden in a carton of yoghurt from an inbound passenger arriving from Jeddah.
At the Lagos airport, $578,000 in falsely declared cash was also intercepted in March from an inbound passenger arriving from South Africa. The suspect declared $279,000 but concealed an additional $299,000 in multiple packages.
In July, foreign currencies amounting to about N653.99m were intercepted at the Kano airport from a suspect arriving from Saudi Arabia. The seizure included $420,900, 3,946,500 West African CFA francs, 224,000 Central African CFA francs, and €5,825. At the Lagos airport, an outbound passenger was also caught with $29,000 but only declared $6,000, in violation of currency declaration requirements.
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Reacting to the development, a chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Mr. Pius Ujubuonu, attributed the rising cases of undeclared cash to fiscal policy challenges.
“It’s a fiscal policy issue. Anywhere you have high rates of circumvention, there is something that does not add up there,” he said, urging the government to review its fiscal policies to encourage compliance.
Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Dr. Segun Musa, also expressed concern that awareness efforts are not sufficient.
“We need to do more rigorous campaigns to make the general public aware of the rules,” Musa said, calling on the government to conduct thorough investigations into the intercepted funds to determine appropriate punishments.
The Nigeria Customs Service has reiterated the importance of declaring cash when traveling, stressing that travelers must declare any cash exceeding $10,000 or its equivalent in other currencies. It added that forms are available at airline counters for lawful declarations.
