The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has
seized €325,640 and $30,000, totaling about N175 million, being smuggled into
Nigeria from Greece and Austria. The anti-narcotics agency said that the suspects concealed
the money inside envelopes and shoes, which were seized at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos during the inward screening of passengers
on a Turkish Airline flight.
A statement by the spokesman of NDLEA, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju,
said that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the smuggled
currencies.
Speaking on the seizures, the NDLEA Commander at the Lagos
airport, Ahmadu Garba, said that the money was found during a routine search of
passengers.
“During the inward screening of passengers on a Turkish
flight, we discovered €325,640 and $30,000. Two suspects, Edos Nicholas, found
in possession of €279,190, and Hallowell Prince Lovely, found in possession of
€46,450 and $30,000, were also apprehended,” Mr. Ahmadu stated.
Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha
Abdallah (retd.), has directed the Director of Assets and Financial
Investigation of the Agency, Mrs. Victoria Egbase, to take over the investigation.
Mr. Abdallah explained that criminal groups seek to conceal the origin of illegally obtained money, noting that it was pertinent for the agency to trace the origin of the money and prevent the introduction of criminal funds into the economy.
The statement hinted that preliminary investigation so far
revealed that both suspects are frequent travelers who are the target of
international drug trafficking organizations, stressing that their sources of
income must be verified.
He posited that Edos Nicholas claimed to be working in a
bakery in Austria, but confessed that people in Austria gave him the money that
the NDLEA seized.
“The money does not belong to me. I was given it by
different people in Europe to give to their relatives. I have been living in
Vienna, Austria for over fifteen years,” said Mr. Nicholas, who hails from Edo
State.
The second suspect, Hallowell Prince Lovely, who also hails
from Edo State, claimed that the money found on him belongs to other people and
that he was asked to deliver it to the recipients in Nigeria.
“I live in Athens and I work in an African shop. I have
lived there for twelve years. The money belongs to many people and some of them
are my friends,” he said.
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