By Ayomide Otitoju
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned one Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, over alleged failure to declare foreign currency totaling £8,020 and $704.
Okechukwu was arrested in December 2024 by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, for allegedly failing to declare the funds during outbound clearance. He was subsequently handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
Following the conclusion of investigations, the defendant was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on money laundering. One of the counts reads:
“That you, Agudosi Christopher Okechukwu, on the 10th day of December, 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, failed to declare the sum of £8,020 to the Nigeria 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.”
Okechukwu pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to him in court.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie, called an EFCC operative, Abubakar Magaji, to review the facts of the case. Magaji testified that the NCS handed over the defendant, along with the undeclared sums, to the EFCC for investigation.
According to Magaji, the defendant confessed under caution that he was in possession of a total of £15,020 and $704 but had only declared £7,000. He claimed to have omitted the remaining amount due to personal distress, stating that he had suffered a loss and was returning to Nigeria with the remains of his brother. Magaji told the court that the defendant presented a death certificate, photographs, and supporting documents in that regard.
The EFCC operative proceeded to identify key documents, including the defendant’s cautionary statement, the NCS handing-over note, and the sum of money recovered. The prosecution counsel then tendered the documents in evidence, which were admitted by the court and marked as exhibits P1 to P11.
Justice Bogoro adjourned the matter until May 2, 2025, for judgment and ordered that the defendant be remanded at a Correctional Centre pending the sentencing.
