The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its determination to enforce the nation’s money disclosure laws and issued a dire warning to travelers on international flights who disobey them.
The warning follows the discovery of a significant amount of unreported foreign cash that a passenger on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight had sneaked into Nigeria.
The $1,154,900 and SR135,900 (Saudi Riyals) worth of cash were hidden within palm-date fruit packages. The NCS has underlined that when entering or leaving Nigeria, travelers must disclose any cash or negotiable instruments worth more than $10,000 or its equivalent. According to Nigeria’s anti-money laundering regulations, noncompliance with this requirement will lead to confiscation, inquiry, and prosecution.
The NCS held a sensitization exercise for foreign airline operators at the Nnamdi Azikiwe foreign Airport in Abuja on Saturday to guarantee adherence to these regulations. The training focused on the significance of implementing Nigeria’s currency reporting legislation among both inbound and outbound tourists.
Airline staff are expected to remind passengers about declaration requirements through in-flight announcements, form distribution, and cooperation during customs checks, according to a statement released on Monday by NCS National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Customs, ACC Abdullahi Maiwada (PhD).
According to Maiwada, in order to prevent legal repercussions, NCS has also advised all travelers to abide by Nigeria’s banking legislation.
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