Court Remands Sierra Leonean For Not Declaring $90,000 To Customs

The Federal High Court Lagos on Thursday remanded a Sierra Leonean, Alhaji Ahmed Shaw in custody of Nigerian Correctional Services for allegedly failing to declare $90,000 to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

The trial judge, Justice Dipeolu, ordered that Shaw be kept behind bars after he was arraigned before him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency accused the defendant of failing to declare the $90,000 during the inward clearance process for travellers bound for Sierra Leone.

The prosecutor, Okezie Chineye, had earlier informed the court that the defendant committed the offence at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, contravening section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defence counsel, Victor Chinedu, informed the court that he was unprepared for trial because his client was served with a copy of the charge on Thursday morning.

Following the development, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the trial until April 15 and remanded the defendant in the custody of the NCS.