A woman, Hauwa Abdullahi Ibrahim has been convicted for smuggling an undeclared sum of $1,154,900 (One Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand, Nine Hundred United States Dollars) and SDR135,900 Saudi Riyals (One Hundred and Thirty-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred Saudi Riyals) from Saudi Arabia into Nigeria.
She was jailed after pleading “guilty” to a two-count charge of money laundering before Justice S. M Shuaibu of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano.
Ibrahim was arrested by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport for attempting to smuggle an undeclared sum of $1,154,900 (One Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand, Nine Hundred United States Dollars) and SDR135,900 Saudi Riyals (One Hundred and Thirty-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred Saudi Riyals) into Nigeria from Saudi Arabia.
The suspect failed to declare the funds as required by law, prompting her immediate apprehension. Following her arrest, the Nigeria Customs Service handed her over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
The EFCC thereafter charged Ibrahim to court on two-count charges of money laundering under Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Upon her arraignment, she pleaded guilty to both count charges when they were read to her.
In view of her plea, counsel to the prosecution, Musa Isah reviewed the facts of the case and tendered exhibits including the undeclared amount and subsequently prayed the court to convict her accordingly.
However, Justice Shuaibu allowed an allocutus which opportune Ibrahim to narrate her story before the court. The convict disclosed that she was approached by one Nafiu in Saudi Arabia who allegedly solicited her assistance to carry along one box from Saudi to Nigeria and when she enquired about the content of the box, he allegedly told her that it was date and small amount of cash.
Taking Nafiu at his word, she allegedly accepted to take the box. She further stated that Nafiu gave her a phone of one particular woman who will collect the box from her upon arrival in Kano.
On landing at the Kano airport, Ibrahim stated that she called the number given to her by Nafiu and the woman came, and she handed over the box to her.
However, after leaving the airport, she was recalled by the airport authorities to return with her international passport to clear the box as she was the one that brought it to Nigeria. Upon her arrival, she was arrested and was shown the contents of the box she flown in with.
She pleaded with the court to spare her as she had no knowledge of the contents of the box and that she was deceived by the sender who told her that the box only contained dates and small amount of money.
In view of her plea for mercy, Justice Shuaibu convicted the defendant as charged and ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared money to the Federal Government in line with Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
