EFCC ARRESTS FAAN OFFICIAL WITH $1.4M

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested an official of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Akinyele Adetula, at the Murtala Airport, Lagos yesterday for trying to launder $1.4m (N218m). The suspect used his identity card to pass through Nigeria Customs Service and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency security checks without any suspicion.

But instead of proceeding to board his flight, he was seen making phone calls and was  accosted. The security officials noticed that his bag was heavy, searched him and saw the huge sum of money which he said did not belong to him and that he was only trying to telephone the owner, one Mr. Ifeanyi Urama, a bureau de change operator who also doubles as clearing and forwarding agent.

Urama, who was alleged to have given Adetula the money which belonged to a yet-to-be-identified person, was recently granted bail by the EFCC after he was arrested with $996,000 (N155m). Adetula was offered N10,000 to help the unknown person to get the money past security. The Head of Operations, EFCC, Mr. Iliyasu Kwarbai, said for the suspect  to pass the bag through the scanner without security agents raising any alarm  implied that officials at the airport were beginning to connive with criminals. He said within a period of three weeks, the commission had seized over $10.2m (N1.6bn) in Lagos alone.

The law states that anyone traveling with over $10,000 (N1.56m) cash must inform security agents at the airport and he/she must also be prepared to explain his/her source of livelihood.