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Money laundering: Court jails man for non-declaration of $30,000 at Airport
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Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, convicted and sentenced Okunfulure Olusola Steve to three months imprisonment for money laundering.
The convict was arrested on March 28, 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for false currency declaration to the tune of $30,0000.
The NCS had, on Friday, March 28, 2025, handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations.
Consequently, he was arraigned on Wednesday on one-count charge bordering on money laundering.
The count 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.”
When the charge was read to Okunfulure, he pleaded “guilty” to the offence.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecuting EFCC lawyer, C.C. Okezie, called on Felicia Paul, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.
Paul, while giving details of how she knew the defendant, told the court that the NCS handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting EFCC lawyer, Paul also told the court that Okunfulure was arrested with the sum of $30,000, which he failed to declare. She further told the court that “ his statement was recorded under caution and was served with the bail conditions.”
Thereafter, she identified the defendant’s statement, the handing-over note from the NCS, the arresting officer’s statement as well as the sum of $30,000 (Thirty Thousand US Dollars) to the EFCC.
Okozie then sought to tender, in evidence, the documents.
Justice Dipeolu admitted and marked them as exhibits 1,2,3 and 4 and held that “ I have read the exhibits, the statement of the defendant, and I found him guilty. He is accordingly convicted as charged.”
Okezie thereafter prayed that the undeclared sum of $20,000 be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and that the defendant be jailed.
But the defence lawyer, Joel Ogundere, while addressing the court, said that the defendant “is a first-time offender and is not aware of the disclosure policy. He added that he is a family man and has responsibilities, saying that his bank account shows the legitimacy of the funds.”
He also prayed the court to “ magnanimously waive any prison sentence”, adding that the convict would not mind forfeiting the sum of money or pay a fine.
Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Okunfulure to three months imprisonment, with effect from the date of his arrest on March 28,2025.
The Judge also ordered that the money should be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Steve, a departing passenger on Delta Airline to Atlanta, United States had declared that he was not in possession of any sum of money in foreign currency but in Naira, while being profiled at the Currency Declaration Desk.
But the sum of $30,000 undeclared was found on him during a search conducted by operatives of the NCS.
He was subsequently handed over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC for further investigations, a development that led to his arraignment and conviction.
News
Ardo Risku: Fear grips Idoma communities as security checkpoints disappear after Fulani leader’s death
By Francesca Hangeior
Residents of several Idoma communities in Benue State are expressing growing fears over what they describe as a significant reduction in security presence along the Agatu–Apa–Otukpo corridor following the killing of the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Benue State, Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed.
Credible sources told NaijaBlitzOnlineNews that several security checkpoints along the corridor have either been dismantled or abandoned in the aftermath of the incident, raising concerns about the safety of residents and travellers.
According to the sources, Mobile Police officers deployed to strategic flashpoints, including Ataganyi, Oweto, Ikobi and Ikor, have either been withdrawn or have left their duty posts, allegedly without the knowledge of higher authorities.
Before the killing of the Fulani leader, there were seven active security checkpoints between Agatu and Otukpo. However, as of Monday, only two checkpoints were reportedly still operational.
The reported reduction in security personnel has heightened anxiety in communities such as Ikobi, Akpete, Ogodumu, Igah and several surrounding villages, where residents fear the area has become increasingly vulnerable to attacks.
Villagers and motorists who spoke on the development expressed concern that the apparent security vacuum could be exploited by armed Fulani ethnic militia to carry out kidnappings or launch attacks on Idoma communities and road users along the corridor.
The residents appealed to both the Federal Government and the Benue State Government to urgently restore the withdrawn security personnel and reinforce security operations in the affected communities before the situation deteriorates.
They also called on security agencies to intensify surveillance along the Agatu–Apa–Otukpo route to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
In addition, the residents appealed to the international community to closely monitor developments in the area and encourage the relevant authorities to strengthen security measures to avert further violence.
By Francesca Hangeior, Abuja
The Federal Government has secured the release and repatriation of 136 Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopia, nearly two years after an Abuja Federal High Court ordered it to intervene in their prolonged detention.
The breakthrough followed the signing of a Prisoner Transfer Agreement between Nigeria and Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on June 11, 2026, bringing to fruition the November 14, 2024 judgment of Justice Inyang Ekwo.
The agreement was facilitated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Ethiopian counterpart, Gideon Timothewos. It was signed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and Ethiopia’s Minister of Justice, Hanna Arayaselassie.
The agreement paved the way for the return of the 136 Nigerians, many of whom had spent years in Ethiopian prisons serving sentences for drug-related and immigration offences.
The development marks the implementation of Justice Ekwo’s judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/305/2024, filed by Mmaduagwu Pius Sunday and others against the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Court records showed that more than 270 Nigerians were serving various prison terms in Ethiopia, with many held at the notorious Kaliti and AbaSamuel prisons in Addis Ababa.
Reports of overcrowding, poor medical care, malnutrition and alleged abuse had heightened public concern, especially following the deaths of some inmates, including Chizoba Favour Eze, Uchenna Nwanneneme and Basil Lawrence Ilobi.
In his judgment, Justice Ekwo held that the Ethiopian government’s admission that it lacked the resources to adequately cater for the inmates made intervention by the Nigerian government imperative.
He consequently granted an order of mandamus compelling the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIDCOM to facilitate the prisoners’ repatriation.
“The first and second respondents cannot be allowed to argue their way out of their respective statutory functions,” the judge ruled, holding that the applicants had established a compelling case for government intervention.
Despite the judgment, implementation stalled for several months, prompting families of the detainees to petition President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly and NIDCOM in September 2025, demanding the conclusion of a prisoner transfer arrangement between both countries.
Diplomatic efforts gathered momentum in 2025 and 2026, with Odumegwu-Ojukwu leading negotiations with Ethiopian authorities, including Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile, to fast-track the agreement.
Speaking during one of the engagements, the minister said: “Our people do not want to hear that another Nigerian inmate has died in an Ethiopian prison,” stressing that Nigeria had fulfilled all the procedural requirements for the transfer arrangement.
The agreement was eventually signed in Addis Ababa earlier this month, with both countries describing it as one “rooted in the principles of humanity, justice and cooperation”, paving the way for the transfer of the 136 Nigerians back home.
By Francesca Hangeior
Shade Okoya, the wife of billionaire businessman Alhaji Razaq Okoya, has broken her silence amid swirling rumours about her marriage with a cryptic but firm message.
The development comes after anonymous Instagram blogger alleged that the businesswoman was involved in an affair with a younger man.
In a post that sparked widespread reactions online, the faceless blogger shared photos of Shade Okoya alongside comedian Tee A, captioning them:
Nice glasses, nice view… gosh and that blue light in the background makes the whole picture very demure.”
The blogger further suggested that the two were “very good family friends,” a claim that has continued to generate debate across social media.
In response to the allegations, Shade Okoya took to her Instagram page to share a video accompanied by a message expressing her unwavering faith in divine justice.
Rather than addressing the claims directly, she declared that she trusts God to vindicate her, emphasizing that his judgment is greater than human opinions or accusations.
She said; “I leave every unseen battle in God’s hands. He alone knows the truth, He alone judges perfectly, and His justice never fails. No lie outlives the truth, and no injustice escapes His perfect judgment.
May every soul reap only what they have sown, Amen”, she wrote.
Ardo Risku: Fear grips Idoma communities as security checkpoints disappear after Fulani leader’s death
FG secures release of 136 Nigerians from Ethiopian prisons after Justice Ekwo’s judgment
Billionaire wife Shade Okoya break silence following cheating allegations
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