The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into Rajesh Kumar, an Indian national who was caught trying to leave Nigeria with a large sum of undeclared cash.

Kumar was intercepted on Wednesday by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos. During a routine screening, customs officials discovered that although he declared just $6,000, he was actually carrying $29,000.

Customs Area Comptroller at the airport, E.I. Harrison, highlighted the critical role of agencies working together to protect Nigeria’s economy.

“We have the mandate to make sure anything that could harm our economy is stopped. So today, I’m formally handing over the money, the passport, and the file containing the passenger’s statement to the EFCC for further action,” Harrison said.

Receiving Kumar on behalf of the EFCC, Assistant Commander and Head of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), Lagos, ACE Ibinabo Amachree, assured that the commission would act quickly on the case.

Representing the Acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Ahmed Ghali, Amachree pointed out that this arrest is another step towards improving Nigeria’s standing on international anti-money laundering standards.

“This case will further boost Nigeria’s image, especially as we aim to exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List,” he said. “It’s also proof of how effective our collaboration with the Nigerian Customs Service and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has become.”

For now, the EFCC has taken custody of Kumar, along with the seized cash and related documents, as investigations continue.