The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced Okunfulure Olusola Steve to three months imprisonment for failing to declare $30,000 (Thirty Thousand US Dollars) while attempting to travel out of the country.
Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu delivered the judgment on Wednesday, 2 April 2025, after the defendant pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, stated that Okunfulure was arrested on March 28, 2025, by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during routine checks.
The convict, a departing passenger on Delta Airline to Atlanta, United States, had initially claimed he was not carrying any foreign currency but was found with $30,000 upon a search.
The NCS subsequently handed him over to the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 for further investigation, leading to his arraignment.
The charge reads, “That you, Okunfulure Olusola Steve, on the 28th day of March, 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $20,000 (Twenty Thousand United States Dollars) to the Nigerian Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
After pleading guilty, prosecution counsel C.C. Okezie presented EFCC operative Felicia Paul, who detailed the case.
Paul confirmed that Okunfulure was arrested with the undeclared sum, and his statement, alongside the Customs handover note and other evidence, was admitted in court.
The defence counsel, Joel Ogundere, pleaded for leniency, stating that the convict was a first-time offender unaware of the declaration policy. He also noted that the funds were legitimate, as shown by his bank records, and requested a fine instead of imprisonment.
However, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Okunfulure to three months’ imprisonment, effective from the date of his arrest (March 28, 2025).
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared $20,000 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
