Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High
Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, May 2, 2025, 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.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Agudosi
Christopher Okechukwu, on the 10th day of December, 2024 in Lagos, within the
jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, failed to make a declaration of the sum
of £8,020 (Eight Thousand and Twenty Pounds Sterling) to the Nigerian Customs
Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and thereby
committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money
Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
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.
At Friday’ sitting, 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.
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