Court jails woman for $1.1m fraud in Kano

The Kano zonal directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of Hauwa Ibrahim for “smuggling an undeclared sum of $1,154,900 and 135,900 Saudi Riyals” from Saudi Arabia into Nigeria. 

In a statement on Friday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said Ibrahim was arrested by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

Oyewale said she failed to declare the funds as required by law, prompting her arrest.

The customs service then handed her to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.

“The EFCC thereafter charged Ibrahim to court on two-count charges of money laundering under Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022,” the statement reads.

“Upon her arraignment, she pleaded guilty to both count charges when they were read to her.

“In view of her plea, counsel to the prosecution, Musa Isah reviewed the facts of the case and tendered exhibits including the undeclared amount and subsequently prayed the court to convict her accordingly.”

Oyewale said S. M Shuaibu, the presiding judge of the federal high court sitting in Kano, allowed an allocutus for Ibrahim to narrate her story before the court.

According to the statement, Ibrahim said she was approached by one Nafiu in Saudi Arabia who solicited her assistance to carry along one box from Saudi to Nigeria.

She said upon enquiry, he told her that the box contained dates and a small amount of cash.

“Taking Nafiu at his word, she allegedly accepted to take the box. She further stated that Nafiu gave her a phone number of one particular woman who will collect the box from her upon arrival in Kano,” the statement reads.

“On landing at the Kano airport, Ibrahim stated that she called the number given to her by Nafiu and the woman came, and she handed over the box to her.

“However, after leaving the airport, she was recalled by the airport authorities to return with her international passport to clear the box as she was the one that brought it to Nigeria.

“Upon her arrival, she was arrested and was shown the contents of the box she flew in with.

“She pleaded with the court to spare her as she had no knowledge of the contents of the box and that she was deceived by the sender who told her that the box only contained dates and small amount of money.”

Shuaibu convicted the defendant as charged and ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared money to the federal government.