Violation of BTA: Air Passengers Carrying Over $10,000 Will Be Prosecuted – Customs Warns
By Raheem Ibrahim
Air passengers travelling abroad with more than $10,000 – the minimum Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) – will henceforth face prosecution, the Nigeria Customs Service has warned.
This development follows a new agreement between the Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies, and international airline operators to enforce anti-money laundering laws at airports nationwide.
The resolution, reached at a strategic meeting held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, is aimed at strengthening compliance with Nigeria’s currency declaration laws among both inbound and outbound passengers.
During the meeting, roles were clearly assigned to all parties, particularly airline personnel, who are now mandated to remind passengers of declaration requirements through in-flight announcements, the distribution of declaration forms, and full cooperation during customs checks.
It was reiterated that any passenger travelling with an amount exceeding the regulatory threshold of $10,000 or its equivalent must declare it to authorities. Failure to do so may lead to seizure of the funds, further investigation, and possible prosecution under Nigeria’s anti-money laundering regulations.
The gathering also emphasized the mandatory submission of electronic passenger manifests (e-Manifests) by airline operators before aircraft arrival. These manifests must include full passenger details—such as names, countries of origin and destination, and flight numbers—to enable targeted risk assessments and enhance border surveillance operations.
Speaking at the event, the Assistant Comptroller of Customs in charge of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Unit, Salihu Mas’ud, expressed optimism about the new enforcement measures and confirmed that Customs has already implemented several operational tools to ensure compliance.
“What we’ve achieved so far is significant. We have sensitized stakeholders and inspected all necessary points. Dedicated search rooms for secondary inspections are operational. There are also specific posts for currency declarations, and these are already in place. Public Address Systems are being used for announcements, and airline operators have committed to making similar announcements onboard their flights,” Mas’ud stated.
“We expect higher compliance, and this will bolster our enforcement efforts. It ensures that defaulters are promptly identified and referred for investigation and prosecution,” he added.
The agreement is expected to improve border security and curb illicit financial flows, including terrorism financing and the smuggling of undeclared funds.
