The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Saturday held a sensitisation exercise for international airline operators at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, urging on the need to ensure passengers comply to currency declaration.
The session aimed to raise awareness on the importance of enforcing Nigeria’s currency declaration laws among inbound and outbound travelers.
The NCS emphasised that passengers carrying over $10,000 or its equivalent are required to make a declaration to the authorities. Failure to comply may result in seizure, investigation, and prosecution under Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws.
The NCS noted that airline personnel play a crucial role in ensuring compliance by making in-flight announcements, distributing declaration forms, and cooperating during customs checks.
The Assistant Comptroller of Customs in charge of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Unit, Salihu Mas’ud, expressed confidence in the outcomes of the sensitisation exercise. He highlighted the measures already implemented by the NCS, including dedicated search rooms for secondary searches, dedicated posts for currency declarations, and announcements on the Public Address System.
The NCS also emphasised the importance of submitting electronic manifests (e-Manifests) before aircraft arrival and maintaining complete passenger details. This allows customs and security officers to conduct targeted risk assessments and enhance border surveillance operations.
The partnership between the NCS and airline operators is expected to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and ensure higher compliance with currency declaration regulations.
The NCS believes that sustained partnerships with airline operators, airport authorities, and intelligence agencies will remain key to its success in enforcing currency declaration laws and preventing terrorism financing and smuggling of undeclared funds.