Lagos Court condannies three months in prison for not declasting $ 30,000 at the airport

The judge Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Wednesday, sentenced and sentenced Okunfulness Ousola Steve to three months of imprisonment for money recycling.

The prisoner was arrested on March 28, 2025, at Murtala Muhammed, Ikeja, Lagos by the agents of Nigria Customs Service, NCS, for a false declaration of currency for an amount of $ 30.0000.

The NCS had, on Friday 28 March 2025, delivered it to the Zonal Lagos 2 direction of the Commission for economic and financial crimes, EFCC, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations.

As a result, he was accused on Wednesday on an accusation of a count on the border with money recycling.

The count states: “That you, Okunfulure Ousola Steve, on March 28, 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court, you have not been able to make a declaration of the sum of $ 20,000 (twenty thousand dollars of the United States) at the time of the caring of money money laundering (prevention and prohibition), 2022.”

The accused declared himself “guilty” for the accusation when he was read.

Following his reason for guilt, the judicial consultant, CC Okezie invited Felicia Paul, an operating of the FCC, to review the facts of the case.

Paul, while providing details on how the accused knew, told the Court that the NCS delivered him to the Zonal Lagos 2 direction of the FCC on Friday 28 March 2025.

Guided trial by the accusation consultant, Paul also told the Court that the defendant was arrested with the sum of $ 30,000, which he did not declare to declare.

He also told the Court that “his declaration was recorded under caution and was served with the conditions of deposit”.

Subsequently, he identified the defendant’s declaration, the delivery note of the NCS, the declaration of the arrest officer, as well as the sum of $ 30,000 (thirty thousand US dollars) to the Fcc.

Okie then tried to give the documents in evidence.

The judge Dipeolu admitted and marked as exhibitions 1,2,3 and 4 and considered that “I read the exhibitions, the defendant’s declaration, and I considered him guilty. Consequently he is sentenced as accused”.

Subsequently Okezie prayed that the unreacted sum of $ 20,000 was given up on the federal government of Nigeria and that the accused was imprisoned.

The defense consultant, Joel Ogundere, while he turns to the Court, said that the accused “is a offender for the first time and is not aware of the popularization policy.

“He is a family man and has responsibility. His bank account shows the legitimacy of the funds.”

He also prayed to the Court of “renouncing any prison sentence”, adding that the prisoner would not mind losing the sum of the money or paying a fine.

The judge Dipeolu sentenced and sentenced the defendant to three months of imprisonment, with effect from the date of his arrest on March 282025.

The judge also ordered that the money was dedicated to the federal government of Nigeria.

Steve, a passenger departing on the Delta airline in Atlanta, the United States had declared that they were not in possession of any sum of money in foreign currency but in Naira, despite being profiled at the bank of the currency declaration.

However, the sum of $ 30,000 not declared was found on him during research conducted by the ENCS agents.

Subsequently he was delivered to the Zonal 2 management of Lagos of the FCC for further investigations, a development that led to his arrangement and condemnation.