By Nkechi Eze
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched investigations into two major interceptions involving large sums of undeclared foreign currencies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement signed by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Commission have commenced the investigation of one Phil-Olumba Ifunaya Sheila, who was arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for allegedly attempting to travel without declaring significant sums of foreign currency.
Sheila was intercepted on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, during a routine check at the airport. Customs operatives discovered that she was in possession of $14,567 (Fourteen Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty-Seven United States Dollars), £1,030 (One Thousand and Thirty British Pounds Sterling), and CA$40 (Forty Canadian Dollars). The suspect, who was scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom, reportedly told officials that she had only $4,000 in her possession at the time of her arrest.
In a related incident, the EFCC also announced the commencement of investigations into a suspicious parcel intercepted by the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service. The parcel was found to contain an astronomical sum of ZW$101,000,000,000,000 (One Hundred and One Trillion Zimbabwean Dollars), estimated at ₦426,091,066,068.06, along with 41,640,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND), equivalent to ₦95,746.52.
The Area Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service at the airport, E.J. Harrison, who officially handed over the suspect and the confiscated currencies to the EFCC, stated that the two interceptions were carried out by vigilant Customs officers operating across different command locations. He emphasized the importance of inter-agency collaboration in detecting and curbing illegal financial transactions.
“Today, we have two interceptions that we want to hand over to the EFCC. And they are coming from two separate places in the Command,” Harrison said. “The first one comes from an area that we may not know so much about, but it is part of our coverage and area of responsibility, that is NIPOST (Nigerian Postal Service). We intercepted a parcel that contained foreign currencies. It was the vigilance and dedication of our officers and NIPOST’s officials, while examining the parcel, that uncovered an attempt to smuggle large volumes of foreign currencies into Nigeria.”
He stressed that it remains the responsibility of the Customs Service to prevent illegal importation of such funds into the country and that the appropriate agency in this case, the EFCC would take over further investigations.
Receiving the suspect and the intercepted parcel, M.A. Timta, an operative of EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, assured that the Commission would expedite action on both investigations. Speaking on behalf of the acting Zonal Director, Ahmed Ghali, Timta commended the Nigeria Customs Service for its vigilance and unwavering commitment to combating illicit financial flows into Nigeria.
“These interceptions underscore the importance of sustained cooperation among government agencies in securing the nation’s financial systems from criminal abuse,” Timta said.
The EFCC reaffirmed its resolve to pursue the cases to a logical conclusion, promising that if found culpable, the suspect would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
