Court Jails Man 3 Months for Non-Declaration Of $30,000 at Airport: Lagos

Court jails man 3 months for non-declaration of $30,000 at Airport: Lagos. Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, convicted and sentenced Okunfulure Olusola Steve to three Months imprisonment for money laundering.

The convict was arrested on March 28, 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for false currency declaration to the tune of $30,0000.

The NCS had, on Friday, March 28, 2025, handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations.

Consequently, he was arraigned on Wednesday on one-count charge bordering on money laundering.

The count reads: “That you, Okunfulure Olusola Steve, on the 28th day of March, 2025 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $20,000 (Twenty Thousand United States Dollars) to the Nigerian Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and thereby committed an offence Contrary to and Punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

The defendant pleaded “guilty” to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie called on Felicia Paul, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.

Paul, while giving details of how she knew the defendant, told the court that the NCS handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC on Friday, March 28, 2025.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Paul also told the court that the defendant was arrested with the sum of $30,000, which he failed to declare. She further told the court that “ his statement was recorded under caution and was served with the bail conditions.”

Thereafter, she identified the defendant’s statement, the handing-over note from the NCS, the arresting officer’s statement as well as the sum of $30,000(Thirty Thousand US Dollars) to the EFCC.

Okozie then sought to tender, in evidence, the documents.

Justice Dipeolu admitted and marked them as exhibits 1,2,3 and 4 and held that “ I have read the exhibits, the statement of the defendant, and I found him guilty. He is accordingly convicted as charged.”

Okezie thereafter prayed that the undeclared sum of $20,000 be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and that the defendant be jailed.

Defence counsel, Joel Ogundere, while addressing the court, said that the defendant “is a first-time offender and is not aware of the disclosure policy . He is a family man and has responsibilities. His bank account shows the legitimacy of the funds.”

Court

He also prayed the court to “ magnanimously waive any prison sentence”, adding that the convict would not mind forfeiting the sum of money or pay a fine.

Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced the defendant to three months imprisonment, with effect from the date of his arrest on March 28,2025. The Judge also ordered that the money be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Steve, a departing passenger on Delta Airline to Atlanta, United States had declared that he was not in possession of any sum of money in foreign currency but in Naira, while being profiled at the Currency Declaration Desk.

However, the sum of $30,000 undeclared was found on him during a search conducted by operatives of the NCS.

He was subsequently handed over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC for further investigations, a development that led to his arraignment and conviction.

PDP Rejects Tribunal’s Verdict, Heads To Court Of Appeal: Edo

PDP rejects tribunal’s verdict, heads to Court of Appeal: Edo. The Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the judgment of the election petition tribunal.

The Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the judgment of the election petition tribunal.

The Edo election tribunal in Abuja on Wednesday upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo and dismissed the PDP and Asue Ighodalo’s petitions.

In a statement by Tony Aziegbemi, the chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, said its candidate was duly elected by the majority of the voters in the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
Mr Aziegbemi said the PDP was certain that it sufficiently proved its case before the tribunal.

He said, “The Edo Election Petition Tribunal has delivered its ruling on our petition, challenging the result of the governorship election held September 21, 2024. Although we hold the judiciary in the highest esteem as a political party and respect the judgment, we completely disagree with the decision of the tribunal.

“We believe, without any doubt, that our candidate, in the election, was duly elected by the majority of the voters in that election. We are also certain that we sufficiently proved our case before the tribunal.”

Mr Aziegbemi added, “It is on the back of this conviction that we call on all our members to quickly rise up from the ashes of this temporary setback as we take our matter to the appellate courts.

“As firm believers in the rule of law and the ultimate superiority of right over wrong. We call on all our supporters to keep hope alive as we explore all available democratic means of enthroning the will of the people of Edo.”

The three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi passed its verdict in a unanimous judgment, stressing that the petitioners failed to prove its allegations of over-voting and electoral non-compliance.

The tribunal held that it was the duty of a petitioner to prove its electoral malpractice allegations against INEC and not the other way around.

On the petitioners’ allegations that the number of votes cast was greater than the number of registered voters in disputed polling units, the judge agreed with the defendants that the petitioners failed to present polling unit agents and presiding officers to prove it.

Court Of Appeal

The judge said it was “clear to us that the documents tendered from the bar(by the petitioners) were dumped on the tribunal without any competent witness” to substantiate the claims of over-voting and electoral non-compliance.

“These witnesses (presented by the petitioners comprising local government agents and others) are total strangers,” the judge stressed. “The failure of the petitioners (PDP and Ighodalo) in this case to call polling unit agents and registered voters is fatal to their case.”

The judge also faulted the PDP for dumping the BVAS machines before the tribunal without calling competent witnesses to turn them on and demonstrate its claims of over-voting.

EFCC Tenders More Evidence Against Kore Holdings oOn Alleged $9.6b P&ID Scam

EFCC Tenders more Evidence against Kore Holdings on Alleged $9.6b P&ID Scam. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 tendered additional evidence against Kore Holdings Limited before Justice J. O. Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court Abuja.

The Commission is prosecuting the company alongside Muhammed Kuchazi (now deceased) in connection with the Process & Industrial Development, P&ID fraud portfolio on amended four-count charges that border on non-compliance with Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment requirements, money laundering and other illegal acts.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, Second Prosecution Witness, PW2, Umar Hussein Babangida, while being led in his testimony by prosecution counsel, Bala Sangha, advanced eleven documents which were tendered in evidence in court. They include, a letter of request to Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, letter of request to Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, SCUML, extra-judicial statements of Kuchazi which he voluntarily made to the EFCC, statements of other directors of the company: Mustapha Kuchazi, Bello Kuchazi, Belkisu Kuchazi, Aisha Kuchazi and statement of PW1, Temitope Erinomo.

EFCC

The witness, while disclosing that Kore Holdings Limited was not a liquidated entity but was active and did businesses in Nigeria, submitted that “The status of Kore Holdings Limited through our investigation and interaction with Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC and First Bank of Nigeria Limited revealed that there was no evidence to show that it was liquidated or closed up because the documents showed that the company is active.

“Kore Holding Limited and Muhammed Kuchazi continually facilitated meetings between Rilwanu Lukman, the then Minister of Petroleum and the Process and Industrial Developments, P&ID for a fee of three per cent of the net profit of P&ID project which led Kuchazi to testify against the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the High Court of England and Wales in the matter of Nigeria Vs P&ID in the first quarter of 2023 in which judgment was delivered in favour of Nigeria,” he said.

Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter till September 24, 2025 for continuation of trial.