Sierra Leonean national Alhaji Ahmed Shaw has been arraigned before Justice D.I. Dipeolu at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for failing to declare $90,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Shaw, who was apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on March 3, 2025, was transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 5, 2025, for further investigation ¹.
The charge against Shaw reads: “ALHAJI AHMED SHAW, on the 3rd day of March, 2025, in Lagos, failed to make a declaration of $90,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, committed an offense contrary to Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.” Shaw pleaded not guilty to the charge.
EFCC counsel C.C. Okezie requested a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendant in custody pending trial. Justice Dipeolu granted the application, ordering Shaw’s remand at a Correctional Centre, and adjourned the matter until April 15, 2025, for trial.
The EFCC stated that failing to declare a sum to the Nigerian Customs Service constitutes a serious infraction under Nigerian law.
The agency’s actions highlight the collaboration between Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies, including the NDLEA and EFCC, in tackling illicit financial flows.
In the words of the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, “The Lagos Zonal Directorate of EFCC, Okotie-Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos, arraigned Sierra Leonean Alhaji Ahmed Shaw for non-declaration of $90,000 before Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.”
The EFCC is conducting an investigation into Shaw’s travel history and links to cross-border money laundering networks.