The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation of one Adam Musa Adam, who was arrested with $265,000 in undeclared foreign currency at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
The suspect was intercepted last Sunday, upon arrival from New Delhi aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET941, during routine screening by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Also, the EFCC has secured the final forfeiture of 431 mobile phones linked to Chinese cyber-fraud operators to the Federal Government.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered the forfeiture yesterday following an application by the agency.
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said Adam’s luggage was flagged for secondary examination using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology (NIIT), which led to the discovery of the cash concealed among his personal belongings.
Handing over the suspect and exhibits to the anti-graft agency, Acting Customs Area Controller, MAKIA Command, Deputy Comptroller Usman Umar Adamu, said moving foreign currency above the approved threshold without declaration violates sections 3 and 4 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
He said between January and last month, the Command had intercepted undeclared foreign currencies and negotiable instruments valued at over N2.5 billion, stressing that the handover was in line with Section 4(f) of the NCS Act, 2023.
Receiving the suspect on behalf of the Commission, the Acting Zonal Director, Kano Zonal Directorate, Assistant Commander ACE I Friday S. Ebelo, described the action as a demonstration of interagency synergy in sanitising Nigeria’s financial system.
‘The EFCC will carry out its established mandate by investigating and prosecuting this case to its logical conclusion. In the life of a people, there comes a time that certain institutions become the beacon of hope by safeguarding our economy against illicit financial flows,’ Ebelo said.
He commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for fostering collaboration between both agencies, and lauded officers of the MAKIA Command for their vigilance and professionalism.
‘On behalf of my boss, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, I thank the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service for the sustained partnership,’ he added.
The phones were linked to a cyber-fraud operation allegedly involving Chinese and Nigerian youths at a facility known as ‘HK’ in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The facility was allegedly used to train and deploy Nigerian youths and foreign nationals for romance, investment and cryptocurrency fraud targeting victims in the United States, Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe.
The EFCC, through its counsel, Hannatu Kofarnaisa, had filed a motion on notice seeking the final forfeiture of the devices.
The court had on July 8, this year, granted an interim forfeiture order and directed the commission to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any person or entity to show cause why the phones should not be forfeited.
Moving the application for final forfeiture, Kofarnaisa told the court that the EFCC had complied with the directive by publishing the notice in The Guardian newspaper on August 11.
She said no one came forward to contest the forfeiture within the period stipulated by the court.
The application was supported by an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, Christopher Augustine, who detailed the findings of the commission’s investigation.
According to the affidavit, a sting operation conducted on December 10, 2024, led to the arrest of more than 700 individuals, including about 500 Nigerians, 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos and other foreign nationals.
The affidavit also linked Genting International Company Limited (GICL), allegedly controlled by Huang Haoyu, also known as Ken, and other foreign nationals, to the operation.
The EFCC said Huang and GICL were subsequently charged with seven counts bordering on cyber terrorism, possession of fraudulent documents, failure to declare activities to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), illegal foreign exchange transactions and money laundering.
The commission said Huang and GICL pleaded guilty to the charges and were subsequently convicted and sentenced by the court.
Augustine stated that the 431 mobile phones were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and were therefore liable to forfeiture under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
After hearing the submissions of the EFCC and reviewing the affidavit evidence, Justice Dipeolu held that the application had merit.
The judge consequently ordered the final forfeiture of the 431 mobile phones to the Federal Government.