The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it had apprehended two suspected hard currency smugglers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The suspects are: Obasi Chidi from Enugu State, and Nebo Lloyd from Abia State.
The agency made this known in a statement by its Head, Public Affairs Unit, Mr Jonah Achema, on Friday in Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the arrest was made by the agency’s Special Area Command at the airport.
Achema said that the suspects were apprehended as they arrived at the airport aboard an Ethiopian Airline Flight 911, connecting from Tel Aviv.
He said, “They were arrested with various sums of hard currencies neatly concealed in their travelling bags.
“They, however, failed to declare the currencies at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel or upon arrival at the Airport in Abuja.”
“Upon intensive search by officers and men of NDLEA, Lloyd was found with the sum of 371, 203 dollars, 20,000 Euros and 20 Shekels.”
“Chidi was found with 318,000 dollars.”
He stated that preliminary investigation indicated that the money was to be delivered to a recipient in Abuja.
Achema said, “the recipient was expected to disburse same to supposed beneficiaries”.
“So far, the couriers could not give account of the source and purpose of the money.”
He added that the money was neither declared before take-off in Israel nor on their arrival in Nigeria.
He however said that the suspects and monetary exhibits had been transferred to the appropriate government agency for further investigation.
The agency said that the challenging security situation in the country called for vigilance in all areas.
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