Kano Court Sentences Woman for Smuggling $1.15 Million
A Federal High Court in Kano has sentenced Hauwa Abdullahi Ibrahim to prison for attempting to smuggle $1,154,900 and SDR135,900 Saudi Riyals into Nigeria from Saudi Arabia without proper declaration.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured her conviction after she pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of money laundering before Justice S. M. Shuaibu.
Ibrahim was arrested by Nigeria Customs Service officers at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport for failing to declare the funds, as required by law. She was later handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
During her arraignment, the EFCC, represented by prosecutor Musa Isah, presented evidence, including the undeclared money, and urged the court to convict her.
In her defense, Ibrahim pleaded for leniency, claiming she had been deceived by an acquaintance in Saudi Arabia, identified as Nafiu, who allegedly gave her a box containing dates and a small sum of cash, only for her to discover the true contents after her arrest.
Despite her plea, Justice Shuaibu convicted her and ordered that the seized funds be forfeited to the Federal Government, in accordance with Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering Act, 2022.
