The Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) has announced the arrest of a suspect (Ishaq Abubakar) at the departure hall gate ‘B’ of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, with 2,886 ATM cards and four Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards on the 22nd of August 2020.
The suspect with passport Number A08333717 was travelling from Kano State to Dubai via Emirates flight.
This information was disclosed to the press at the press conference of the Federal Operation Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The Deputy Controller, Enforcement, NCS, Abdulmumin Bako, while handing the suspect to the EFCC during a media briefing in Lagos on Thursday, said Abubakar was arrested at the Departure Hall of the airport.
The Deputy Controller, Enforcement, NCS, Abdulmumin Bako during the handover to EFCC.
The DC said “the suspect claimed that one Mr. Musliu was assigned to him to facilitate his movement through the checks at the airport by one Mr. Suleiman but due to the diligence of our officers who insisted on conducting physical examination, it revealed the concealment.”
The Lagos Zonal Head, EFCC, AbdulRasheed Bawa, while receiving the suspect, said the ATM cards could be used for money laundering or foreign exchange malpractices, adding that everyone involved in the conspiracy would be arrested and prosecuted by the commission.
He stated, “On behalf of the commission and the acting Chairman, Mr Muhammed Umar, we have taken over Ishaq Abubakar and I can assure you that we are going to investigate the matter thoroughly and unveil everybody involved in the syndicate.
“There are several possibilities; there is an element of conspiracy, foreign exchange malpractices and money laundering and indeed, banks and bankers are involved