The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos has intercepted the sum of $8.6million (about N3.1billion) from a gang of money laundering syndicate who allegedly assists corrupt government officials to smuggle cash out of the counrty.
Two airport staff, who were simply identified as drivers of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), have been arrested in connection with the intercepted sum.
They were said to have been nabbed while moving the cash into the airport.
The Customs officers led by the MMIA Comptroller, Wale Adeniyi, based on intelligence, picked up the members of the gang.
It was learnt that the cash which was stached inside an official vehicle owned by NAHCO was being smuggled into the airport by the suspected NAHCO staff before it was intercepted.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, (rtd), displayed the intercepted foreign currencies at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, also confirmed that the two persons have been arrested and undergoing investigations.
Details later…
