Onal, who was scheduled to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai, was intercepted on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, during a routine check at the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Currency Declaration Desk at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. Authorities say he was found carrying $800,575 and €651,505, which he allegedly did not declare as required under Nigerian law.
He was arraigned before Justice Yelim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, and the EFCC has indicated that the investigation and prosecution will continue in line with the country’s anti-money laundering regulations.
A statement posted on the EFCC’s official social media page on Friday, January 9, 2026, confirmed the arraignment and detailed the circumstances of the arrest. “Onal, who was scheduled to travel on Emirates Airline to Dubai, was intercepted during a routine check at the AML/CFT Currency Declaration Desk at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos,” the statement read.
The EFCC noted that the case underscores Nigeria’s commitment to enforcing its anti-money laundering laws and combating illicit financial flows.