Hussaini Kafi in Kano
The Federal High Court in Kano has convicted Hausa Abdullahi Ibrahim for smuggling undeclared cash into Nigeria from Saudi Arabia.
Delivering judgment, Justice Shuaibu ordered the forfeiture of the seized money to the Federal Government in line with Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
This was disclosed in an official statement on Thursday by Dele Oyewale, the Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC Kano Zonal Office.
During the trial, the court allowed Ibrahim to give her account of the incident.
She claimed that she was approached by one Nafiu in Saudi Arabia, who asked her to transport a box to Nigeria.
According to her, Nafiu assured her that the box contained only dates and a small amount of money. Trusting his words, she accepted the package.
Ibrahim further stated that Nafiu provided her with a phone number belonging to a woman in Nigeria who was supposed to collect the box upon her arrival in Kano.
After landing at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, she called the number, and the woman arrived to pick up the package.
However, shortly after leaving the airport, Ibrahim was summoned back by airport authorities and asked to present her international passport to clear the box since she was the one who brought it into the country.
Upon her return, she was arrested and shown the actual contents of the package, which had not been declared upon arrival.
Pleading for leniency, Ibrahim insisted that she had no knowledge of the illegal contents and had been deceived by Nafiu.
Despite her plea, Justice Shuaibu convicted her as charged, ordering the forfeiture of the undeclared money to the government.
The case highlights the strict enforcement of Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws and serves as a warning against transporting items without verifying their contents.
