Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, convicted and sentenced one Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu to six months imprisonment for non-declaration of foreign currencies at Lagos Airport.
Okechukwu was arrested in December 2024 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS for non-declaration of the sums of £8020 (Eight Thousand and Twenty British Pounds) and $704 (Seven Hundred and Four Dollars) and handed over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations.
He was arraigned on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 on a two-count charge, bordering on money laundering.
A statement by the head of media and publicity for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale said,
“He pleaded “guilty” to the charges following which prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie called on Abubakar Magaji, an EFCCoperative to review the facts of the case.
“Magaji informed the court that Okechukwu had a total sum of £15,020 and $704 (Fifteen Thousand and Twenty British Pounds) and $704 (Seven Hundred and Four Dollars) and that while he declared £7000 (Seven Thousand British Pounds) he kept back £8020 (Eight Thousand and Twenty Pounds Sterling) and $704 (Seven Hundred and Four Dollars), claiming that he lost his brother and was going to use the undeclared sums to fly his corpse back to the country.
“Justice Bogoro convicted and sentenced him to six months imprisonment on both counts or to pay N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) on each. In addition, he forfeited the sums of £8,020 and $704 to the federal government”.
