The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, over his failure to declare foreign currency in his possession at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, the arraignment took place on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, and the charges border on money laundering under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“Agudosi was arrested with the sums of £8,020 and $704, which he failed to declare to officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),” the EFCC statement said.
The EFCC noted that Agudosi had originally declared £7,000 but failed to report the additional £8,020 and $704, which led to his arrest by NCS officers in December 2024 and subsequent transfer to the EFCC for further investigation.
When arraigned, the defendant pleaded guilty to the two-count charge. The prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie, then called EFCC operative Abubakar Magaji to present the facts of the case.
“He declared £7,000 but had a total of £15,020 and $704. He claimed he forgot to declare the rest, explaining he was grieving and traveling to retrieve his brother’s corpse,” Magaji told the court.
The EFCC presented key evidence including the defendant’s written statement, handover notes from NCS, the arresting officer’s report, and the foreign currencies in question. These were marked as Exhibits P1 to P11 by Justice Bogoro.
Following the presentation, Justice Bogoro adjourned the case to May 2, 2025, for judgment and ordered the remand of Agudosi at a Correctional Centre until then.
