A suspect, Oguma Richard Uchenna arrested with traveler’s cheques at the Lagos airport. Photo: Nosa Aituamen
Travelers’ cheques in different foreign currencies with a total value of N1,157, 670,469.92 have been intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
The Spokesman for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi in a statement says, a suspect, Oguma Richard Uchenna has been arrested in connection to the attempt to export the cheques, which were neatly concealed inside four bound hardcover books disguised as academic projects literature, to the United Kingdom.
According to him, the financial instruments suspected to be counterfeits were discovered on Wednesday 27th April at NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport during cargo examination of some consignments meant for exportation to the UK on a cargo flight.
A breakdown of the cheques shows they have monetary values of $287, 623.31; $1,456,300 and 1,297,800 Euros.
In the same vein, operatives of NDLEA at the airport also foiled attempts by drug traffickers to smuggle into Nigeria 10.89kilograms of cocaine through a Qatar Airways flight.
The illicit drug was hidden in seven children’s duvets packed in an unaccompanied bag from Brazil.
Reporting by Nosa Aituamen; Editing by Abdullahi Lamino