By Stephen Ubanna
For years VIP currency launderers have made Nnanamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Murtala Muhammed International airport, Ikeja, Lagos and Mallam Aminu Kano, International airport, Kano, a haven for foreign currency laundering.
The VIP currency launderers, appears to have taken of the religious Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to carry out their nefarious act. The situation was said to become pronounced for much of last year and now, forcing Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and his officers at the to beam their searchlight the foreign travelllers and their bags to ensure that foreign currencies or drugs are not concealed in it. They got it right. This is evident going by the spectacular discoveries of hidden forex concealed in suspected travellers bags.
The NCS, and Huwei Technologies, a Chinese firm which was said to have entered into a working agreement I 2022, under the previous Management of Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel, to provide these core services which include ‘’Unified Customs Management Systems, UCMS, and Trade Portal, Electronic Cargo Traffic System, and Enforcement system.
This is in addition to the provision of Telecommunication System, Video Surveillance, Connectivity ,the Electronic Cargo Tracking system and Border Management System as well as other services such as Humman Resorces Management, HRM, NII, , DMS and AMS, appears to be making things difficult for the fraudulent importers at the seaports, particular, the Lagos port of Apapa, Tin-can Island and Port Multi-Terminal services Limited, PTML.
The introduction of the Electronic Currency Declaration Form, e-CDF, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, FCT, preparatory for its deployment to the MMIA, and Mallam Aminu Kano, International Airport, Kano, and the newly opened Enugu International airport, Enugu, in south east Nigeria, appears to have sent jitters down the spines of the foreign currency launderers who longer find it funny.
The Customs Authorities may have shown that there is no hiding place for the criminal elements who are out to contravene the Nigerian Government, 2025, Fiscal Policies, with the deployment of Electronic Currency Declaration Form, E-CDF.
An elated CGC Adeniyi, who could not hide his feelings had said that the deployment of the e-CDF, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, in this pilot phase, just like the B’Odoggwu, which was introduced at PTML, before it was finally expanded to Apapa and Tin-can Island Commands last October, had escribed it as ‘’very successful’’.
The Customs Comptroller General, who could not hide his feelings had declared that the deployment of the new technology, by Trade Modernization Project, TMP, overseeing the Transformation and Modernization initiatives of the service based on the NCS agreement with Humwei, a Chinese firm, aimed at overseeing port operations, strengthening border controls and enhancing transparency in financial disclosures by foreign travellers through the country’s international airports as making a headway.
The pilot phase of the use of the e-CDF, which was said to have commenced on April 9, 2025, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, was said to have been implemented without issues, unlike the B’Odogwu, which was said to have developed various challenges at PTML, at the implementation of the pilot phase.
The implementation of the e-CDF, at the airport, according to the CGC, had ‘’showcased the systems effectiveness in digitally capturing both around and outbound currency declarations, offering a more secure, efficient and accountable processes for cross -border travellers. He noted that during the implementation of the pilot phase at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, the e-CDF system, operated by the service, with the technological backing of the TMP, it had recorded a total of 69 currency declaration transactions which had never been experienced at the airport over the years.
The outbound declarations were said to have accounted for 51 of the total figures with a total declared foreign currency value of the North American country of the United States, US $1,200,281.22.
Given an analysis of the outbound forex declarations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, he had said that the outbound declarations stood at 18, with a total declared value of US$177,786.88.
According to him, the e-CDF, operated by TMP, was developed by the service to align with the best international practices in anti-money laundering, AML, and counter-financing terrorism, CFT, protocols. He did not stop there. He asserted that it also provides real-time data that supports the service intelligence gathering and inter-agency cooperation.
A senior officer who spoke to The Value News on condition of anonymity had said that that the airport officers could achieve that much within the deployment of the e-CDF, because the NCS, under the current Leadership of Adeniyi, had remained committed ‘’to leveraging technology to improve trade compliance at the seaports, airports, facilitate legitimate travels and ensure integrity of Nigerian’s borders.
Abdullahi Maiwada, an Assistant Comptroller and the Customs spokesperson, may have gladdened the heart of Nigerians when disclosed that following the success of this pilot phase of the implementation of the e-CDF, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe, International airport, Abuja, FCT, plans are underway to replicate the deployment of the new technology at other international airports across the country.
It would be recalled that prior to the deployment of the e-CDF system at the Abuja, International airport, the Service, had intercepted US$86,000 at the airport. The funds, AC. Maiwada, the Service spokespersman had said were concealed and undeclared by the foreign traveller, violating the country’s financial regulations.
Last Marh, at the same Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, the Service had intercepted an undeclared total amount of US$193,000, concealed in a carton of Yoghurt at the same Nnamdi Azikiwe airport.
The Assistant Customs Comptroller, had said the operation that had led seizure of the huge amoun of US, dollars, was based on credible intelligence gathering and a thorough baggage inspection of the inbound passenger.
In the spirit of inter-agency collaboration, all the seized money, running into of thousands of US dollars, that said to have been intercepted at the various international airports across the country was said to have been handed over to the EFCC, for further investigations and possible prosecution of the suspects.One of the suspects who was said to have played into Customs personnel hands at the airport was onboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight No.951, from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Nigeria .
