The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted $193,000 in undeclared foreign currency concealed inside a carton of yoghurt at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The interception, which took place on Thursday, March 20, 2025, was the result of credible intelligence gathering and a vigilant baggage check on an inbound passenger.
Addressing journalists at the international wing of the Abuja airport, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Olumide Adebisi, revealed that the suspect, identified as Kamilu Abdullahi Sarina (40 years old), arrived in Nigeria onboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight No. 951 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Acting on intelligence received earlier in the day, Customs officers conducted a detailed baggage inspection, leading to the discovery of the smuggled cash.
“Around the early hours of today, we received an intelligence report, which proved very helpful. This afternoon, one Kamilu Abdullahi Sarina, who boarded Ethiopian Airlines from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was found concealing a total sum of $193,000 inside a carton of yoghurt,” Adebisi stated.
The Customs boss explained that Sarina’s failure to declare the funds upon arrival violated the Anti-Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
Customs nab passenger smuggling $193,000 in Yoghurt carton
