A woman named Hauwa Abdullahi Ibrahim has been jailed and forced to forfeit $1,154,900 and SDR135,900 to the Federal Government after being caught smuggling the undeclared sum from Saudi Arabia into Nigeria.
Ibrahim was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for attempting to smuggle the undeclared sum into Nigeria. She was then handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for investigation and prosecution.
During her trial, Ibrahim pleaded guilty to two-count charges of money laundering under Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. She claimed she was deceived by the sender, Nafiu, who told her the box contained only dates and a small amount of cash.
Justice S. M Shuaibu allowed Ibrahim to share her story, and she explained that Nafiu approached her in Saudi Arabia, asking for her assistance in carrying a box to Nigeria. She stated that she called the number given to her by Nafiu after landing at the Kano airport, and a woman came to collect the box.
Despite her plea for mercy, Justice Shuaibu convicted Ibrahim and ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared money to the Federal Government.