Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Okunfulure Olusola Steve to three months imprisonment for failing to declare $30,000 cash at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, deemed the act a violation of Nigeria’s money laundering laws.
Steve was apprehended by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) operatives on March 28 while attempting to board a Delta Airlines flight to Atlanta, USA. Despite declaring he carried only Naira, a search revealed $30,000 in undeclared foreign currency. He was handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
During his arraignment, Steve pleaded guilty to charges under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Justice Dipeolu ordered the forfeiture of $20,000 from the undeclared sum to the Federal Government and ruled that Steve’s sentence be effective from his arrest date.
This conviction follows a similar case days earlier involving another passenger found with $578,000 undeclared at the same airport.
