24-year-old man arrested with N1.16 Billion cash at Lagos airport, enroute Dubai

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday confirmed that it had arrested a 24-year old suspect, Abubakar Tijani Sheriff, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for trying to smuggle out $7 million (N1.12 billion).

Sheriff is a bulk currency smuggler. He was arrested on Thursday for attempting to take the $7million of suspected laundered cash to Dubai on behalf of 20 Nigerians whom he has not fully named.

However some reports say that he has named at least one of those who sent him on errand after undergoing interrogation on Friday.

A statement by the head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect was caught at the point of boarding.

The statement said: “The 24-year-old was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos en route Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was apprehended at the point of boarding the plane by operatives of the Commission.

“When he was arrested, he declared that he had a total sum of $4.5million on him but thorough screening and search showed that he was actually carrying $7,049,444 (Seven million, Forty Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty Four United States Dollars).

“He confessed that he was a courier for 20 individuals who hired him to courier the money for them to Dubai.

And yet we complain there is no money in this Country.