A prosecution witness, Sani Ibrahim, in the ongoing trial of an Austrian national, Kavlak Onal, has narrated to the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi how the defendant was arrested for allegedly failing to declare $800,575 and €651,505 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Ibrahim, the second prosecution witness in the case, told the trial judge, Justice Yellim Bogoro, that the foreigner was arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on December 13, 2025, for allegedly failing to declare the foreign currency as required by law.
Onal, who was scheduled to travel to Dubai aboard Emirates Airline, was intercepted by operatives of the NCS during a routine check at the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk, and was subsequently handed over to the anti-graft agency for further investigation.
Upon conclusion of the investigation, he was arraigned on Friday, January 9, 2026, before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos on a two-count charge of money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC informed the court that the offence is contrary to Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
While giving evidence, led by the prosecutor, Bilikisu Buhari, the witness, an operative of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), told the court that he met the foreigner in December 2025 after a colleague informed him about a passenger travelling to Dubai aboard Emirates Airline.
Ibrahim, attached to the Airport Command, testified, “My colleague requested that I assist the defendant into the departure hall after he had collected his boarding pass. My colleague also informed me that the passenger was ill. So, I went to the Emirates Airline counter and met the defendant.
“I collected his passport and boarding pass and asked him to follow me into the departure hall. The defendant told me he was ill and requested that I take him to the lounge inside the airport.
“I cleared him and took him to the AVSEC Aviation Security point, where his luggage was to be screened.
“After the bag was scanned, AVSEC personnel discovered suspicious items inside the bag.
“At that point, I asked him what was inside the bag, and he said they were medicines and other personal belongings.
“He, however, did not mention that he had money inside the bag.”
The witness further stated that he later escorted the defendant to the officials of the Nigeria Customs Service for a currency declaration.
“I told Sulaiman, a Customs officer, that he was a passenger travelling aboard Emirates Airline and that he was ill.
“Sulaiman asked the defendant whether he had any currency to declare, and the defendant answered, ‘No.’
“They then requested to search the bag, and the defendant consented.”
He added that during the search, Customs officers discovered an envelope containing United States dollars, which prompted a more thorough search.
“In the process, they discovered a huge amount of money, the likes of which I had never seen in my life,” he said.
The witness further told the court that the defendant was immediately taken to the Customs office, after which he informed his superior officer about the development.
According to him, the Customs officer subsequently requested the defendant to make a written statement.
