The Nigeria Customs Service in Kano has intercepted undeclared foreign currencies and a range of smuggled goods worth hundreds of millions of naira during a series of operations around Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and nearby routes.
Officials said intelligence-led checks at the airport uncovered passengers attempting to leave the country with undeclared cash, including $106,500 and 134,256 Saudi riyals, in breach of financial regulations. The suspects and the seized currencies have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for investigation over suspected money laundering.
Customs officers also intercepted a passenger carrying 22.8 kilogrammes of concealed silver bars without proper export documentation, while six additional silver bars weighing 12.2 kilogrammes were discovered hidden inside one of two newly smuggled Dong Feng vehicles traced to a route through Niger Republic from Libya.
Other seizures included 1,447 used tyres, 35 bales of second-hand clothing, 10 kegs of foreign vegetable oil and 2,765 cartons of smuggled spaghetti discovered in a truck in Kano State.
In one of the largest interceptions, customs operatives at the airport also seized 503 cartons of Pregabalin capsules — more than 15 million pills — suspected to be unregistered pharmaceutical products. The drugs will be handed to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control for investigation.
Customs officials said the operations form part of a broader crackdown on smuggling and illicit financial flows, warning that enforcement across Kano and Jigawa states will continue to intensify.