Cash-Smugglers Forfeit $5.5m

Two Nigerians, Ojukwu Nnamdi Roland and Ngene Linus Chibuike, arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos while attempting to smuggled $5, 424,270 USD out of the country, have been convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment respectively by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

 Rowland was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on  22 October, 2015, for being in  possession of  cash in the sum of US$2,917,272 (Two Million, Nine Hundred and Seventeen Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventy Two United States Dollars) during his outbound clearance for a journey to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Contrary to the requirements of the law, Rowland did not declare the money to men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and was subsequently arrested and arraigned before Justice Buba.

Rowland pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge preferred against him and the matter went into full trial. Justice Buba found him guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. He also ordered that the convict should forfeit the entire sum of $2,917,272 USD (Two Million, Nine Hundred and Seventeen Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventy Two United States Dollars) to the Federal government.

Justice Buba said that the convict did not do the right thing by failing to declare the money to Customs officials. He ruled that the two years imprisonment should take effect from 9 February, 2016.

Chibuike, on the other hand,  was arraigned on 22 October, 2015  for falsely declaring the sum of US$11,500 (Eleven Thousand and Five Hundred United States Dollars) out of the sum of $2,506,998 USD (Two Million, Five Hundred and Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety Eight United States Dollars) he had in his possession during an outbound clearance for a journey to China en-route Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Chibuike pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge raised against him and the matter went into full trial. Justice Buba found him guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. He also ordered that the convict should forfeit the sum of $2,495, 498 ( Two Million, Four Hundred and Ninety- Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Ninety-Eight United States Dollars) not declared to the Customs Officials to the Federal government

He ruled that the two years imprisonment should take effect from 9 February, 2016.

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity