The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted undeclared cash worth more than $2.2 million at key airports across the country between January and July 2025.
The seizures were recorded at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, according to reports reviewed by The PUNCH.
One of the most significant busts occurred in March at the Kano airport, where officers discovered $1,154,900 and SAR135,900 hidden inside packs of palm dates from a passenger arriving from Saudi Arabia. The suspect was arrested, and the money was handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which secured a conviction and subsequent forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.
The same month, Customs officials at Abuja airport intercepted $193,000 stashed in a carton of yoghurt from an inbound passenger from Jeddah. In Lagos, another passenger arriving from South Africa was caught with $578,000 in cash. The individual had declared $279,000, but concealed an additional $299,000 in separate packages.
Further in July, Kano airport officers uncovered multiple foreign currencies valued at about N653.99 million, including $420,900, 3,946,500 West African CFA francs, 224,000 Central African CFA francs, and €5,825, from a traveler also coming in from Saudi Arabia. At Lagos airport, an outbound passenger declared only $6,000 but was found carrying $29,000, a violation of currency declaration rules.
Speaking on the rising trend, Mr. Pius Ujubuonu, a chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, linked the surge in undeclared cash to flaws in fiscal policy.
> “Anywhere you see high levels of circumvention, there is a fiscal policy gap. The government needs to review its policies to encourage compliance,” he said.
Similarly, Dr. Segun Musa, Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, argued that enforcement alone was not enough.
“We need more robust public campaigns to educate travelers on the rules. Beyond that, government should probe the sources of such funds to determine suitable sanctions,” he noted.
The NCS, in its response, stressed the importance of compliance with international cash declaration standards. Travelers are required to declare cash amounts above $10,000 or its equivalent, with declaration forms now readily available at airline counters for passengers’ use.
