Court Sentences Woman for Smuggling $1.1 Million and 135,000 Riyals in Kano
The Kano Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has successfully secured the conviction of Hauwa Abdullahi Ibrahim, a woman who attempted to smuggle undeclared cash totaling $1,154,900 and 135,900 Saudi Riyals from Saudi Arabia into Nigeria.
According to a statement from the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Hauwa was sentenced by Justice S. M. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court in Kano after she pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of money laundering.
The statement outlined that Hauwa was apprehended by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) for failing to declare the foreign currency as mandated by law. She was then handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
Prosecutor Musa Isah presented the evidence, including the undeclared funds, urging the court to convict Hauwa based on her admission of guilt.
In her defense, Hauwa claimed she was deceived by a man named Nafiu, who allegedly asked her to transport a box containing dates and a small sum of money. She explained that upon reaching Kano Airport, she handed the package to a woman, but later, after being summoned back to the airport, authorities discovered the undeclared funds.
After considering her plea for leniency, Justice Shuaibu convicted Hauwa as charged and ordered the forfeiture of the smuggled money to the Federal Government, in accordance with Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
