The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Directorate, has commenced investigation into a passenger arrested with $265,000 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano State.
The suspect, Adam Musa Adam, a Nigerian passport holder, was arrested on September 26, 2026, after arriving from New Delhi, India, aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET941.
He was intercepted during routine screening by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), after his luggage was flagged for secondary examination using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology. The subsequent search uncovered the undeclared foreign currency concealed among his personal belongings.
The NCS, while handing over the suspect and the exhibits to the EFCC, said the movement of foreign currency above the approved threshold without declaration contravenes Sections 3 and 4 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
The Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Usman Umar Adamu, disclosed that the command had intercepted undeclared foreign currency and other negotiable instruments valued at more than N2.5 billion since January.
He said the handover of the suspect and recovered funds to the EFCC was carried out in accordance with Section 4(f) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
Receiving the suspect and exhibits on behalf of the EFCC, the Acting Kano Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE1), Friday S. Ebelo, described the development as evidence of effective inter-agency collaboration in combating illicit financial flows.
Ebelo said the EFCC would conduct a thorough investigation and, where evidence establishes criminal liability, prosecute the case to its logical conclusion. “The EFCC will conduct and carry out its established mandate by further investigating and prosecuting this case to its logical conclusion,” he said.
He described institutions responsible for enforcing financial laws as critical to protecting the country’s economy from illicit financial activities.
Ebelo also commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for sustaining cooperation between the two agencies, while praising the Customs officers for their vigilance in enforcing regulations governing the cross-border movement of currency.
He conveyed the appreciation of the EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to the Customs leadership for what he described as a sustained partnership in the fight against financial crimes.
