Nigerian Customs are Cracking Down Hard on Cash Smuggling

In the past seven months, Nigerian customs seized over 2.2 million US dollars in undeclared cash. Many airports have been cracking down on "cash smuggling". After identifying clues through the International Currency Identification system, customs have carried out precise interception.

According to the Punch, from January to July 2025, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) carried out special operations at major airports across the country, seizing a total of 2.209 million US dollars in cash that passengers had not declared in accordance with the law. It involves three major aviation hubs: Lagos Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Abuja Namdi Azikiwi International Airport and Kanomaram Aminu Kano International Airport.

According to the detailed case details disclosed by the customs, March this year became the peak period for law enforcement:

The largest single case involving money was seized at Kano Airport. A passenger entering from Saudi Arabia hid 1.1549 million US dollars and 135,900 Saudi riyals in a box of dates. Customs officers seized the items on the spot after detecting abnormalities through X-ray scans. The individuals involved in the case have been prosecuted and convicted. The ill-gotten gains have been transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and will eventually be confiscated by the federal government.

Abuja Airport also seized another concealed case at the same time: In a seemingly ordinary yogurt carton, there was a hidden $193,000 in cash, which came from a "special compartment" of an inbound passenger from Jeddah. At Lagos Airport, law enforcement officers have also repeatedly cracked tricks: In March, a South African inbound passenger falsely declared that he was carrying only 279,000 US dollars, but the customs found an additional 299,000 US dollars (totaling 578,000 US dollars) in several of his packages, constituting a serious violation. In July, it was discovered that an outbound traveler only declared 6,000 US dollars but actually carried 29,000 US dollars, which clearly violated Nigeria's currency declaration regulations.

In July, Kano Airport also cracked a multi-currency mixed smuggling case: a Saudi returning passenger carried a foreign currency combination worth approximately 654 million naira, including 420,900 US dollars, 3.9465 million CFA francs, 224,000 CFA francs and 5,825 euros. After the customs identified the clues through the International Currency Identification system, they carried out a precise interception.

In response to the recent sharp increase in the number of crackdowns, Pius Ujubunu, a senior figure of the Nigerian Association of Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), analyzed and pointed out: "The frequent occurrence of such cases is essentially a signal of an imbalance in fiscal and tax policies - when the cost of legal channels is too high or the procedures are cumbersome, it will inevitably give rise to underground capital flows." He suggested that the government optimize foreign exchange management policies, guiding the public to voluntarily abide by the law by simplifying the declaration process and reducing the compliance burden.

Dr. Segon Musa, vice chairman of the National Association of Government-Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), emphasized the importance of law enforcement publicity: "The current popularization of rules for ordinary passengers is clearly insufficient!" He urged the customs to join hands with airlines and travel agencies to carry out a nationwide legal education campaign, and at the same time demanded a thorough investigation into the source of the involved funds, saying, "The lawbreakers must pay a sufficient price to form a deterrent." According to the current regulations of Nigeria, if a passenger carries more than 10,000 US dollars (or other equivalent foreign currency) when entering or leaving the country, they must obtain a "Cash Declaration Form" from the airline counter and fill it out truthfully.

A spokesperson for the Nigerian Customs Service reaffirmed: "All compliant declaration channels are unobstructed. We encourage passengers to fulfill their obligations through proper channels - concealing declarations not only leads to fines and confiscation but may also result in criminal charges." As one of the largest economies in Africa, Nigeria has long been confronted with the challenge of illegal foreign exchange flows. Customs data shows that the total amount of undeclared cash seized in 2024 was approximately 1.8 million US dollars, while it exceeded this figure in the first seven months of 2025, indicating that the pressure of cross-border fund supervision continues to rise. This series of actions is also closely related to the country's national strategy of promoting "economic transparency reform".