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EFCC Commences Investigations of Suspect,   $73,000,  £15,957 & 827,800 SAR Intercepted at Kano Airport  

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The Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation of a suspect, Haruna Yusuf  and multiple undeclared foreign currencies, ,   $73,000( Seventy Three United States Dollar)  £15,957 ( Fifteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Seven Pound Sterling) & 827,800 Saudi Riyal  intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service,  NCS,   at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport,  MAKIA.

The investigation commenced after  the handover  of the suspect and the undeclared currencies by the Acting Customs Area Comptroller of the Kano/Jigawa Command,  Deputy Comptroller U. U.  Adamu at the Customs Area Command in Kano.
The intercepted currencies, which exceeded the legally permitted threshold, were discovered during routine primary and secondary screenings of arriving passengers between August 8 and August 12, 2026.

The Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC,  Kano Directorate, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Friday S. Ebelo, received the suspect and the recovered funds on behalf of the Commission.
According to Adamu,  the Customs made two separate interceptions.
On August 8,  2026,  “at approximately 14:20 hours, officers conducting passenger screening at the baggage seat of MAKIA intercepted an unaccompanied Saudi Air luggage  containing 827,800 Saudi Riyals and $53,300  The currencies were found concealed inside a footwear.” Adamu stated.
Similarly, on  August 12, 2026 “at approximately 13:50 hours, officers of the Nigerian Custom Service also flagged a luggage belonging to one Mr. Haruna Yusuf, who arrived at MAKIA on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET941. During secondary screening using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, $20,000 USD and £15,957  were found concealed inside sportswear shoes”, he said.
Adamu thereafter formally handed over the suspect, Mr. Haruna Yusuf, alongside all recovered exhibits to Ebelo for further investigation and prosecution.   He noted that the handover was in accordance with Section 4(f) of the NCS Act 2023, which empowers the Service to collaborate with other border regulatory agencies.
Adamu further explained that,  “these interceptions demonstrate the readiness and vigilance of our officers in detecting cross-border movement of undeclared foreign currencies above the allowed threshold.  The Command will continue to deploy technology, professional expertise, and intelligence-driven measures, including inter-agency collaboration to strengthen border controls and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s financial systems.”

Receiving the suspect and exhibits on behalf of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede,  Ebelo  expressed profound gratitude to the Customs Service for its  professionalism and cooperation with EFCC officers recently deployed to the airport.
“We must sustain this vigilance at all our entry points to counter the illegal movement of currency. The failure to declare large sums of currency and its equivalent is a violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022,” he said.
He  urged the public to comply with the law, emphasizing that declaring currency attracts no penalty, only the source of undeclared funds may raise legal concerns.
“Once more, we call on the general public: as much as we are Nigerians and we encourage trade in and out of the country, people must adhere to the laws of the land. You must declare the currency you are carrying. If you declare it, nobody will seize your currency,” he said.
Ebelo reaffirmed the EFCC’s commitment to  thorough investigations and prosecution, stating that the Commission would continue to follow the law diligently
Both Ebelo and Adamu applauded the longstanding synergy between  the EFCC and NCS which has been critical to combating financial crimes and illegal cash movement across Nigeria’s borders.

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Otedola raises First HoldCo stake to 27.49% with fresh N20.7 billion share purchase

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August 17, 2026

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Femi Otedola, the chairman of First HoldCo Plc, acquired 147.7 million new shares in the banking group on Monday, taking his stake in the company to 27.49 per cent.

In a transaction announced in a regulatory filing signed by the group’s Company Secretary, Abiola Baruwa, Mr Otedola purchased 147,737,699 additional shares at N140 per share.

The additional shares, which represent 0.33 per cent of the company’s outstanding shares, were purchased through Calvados Global Services Limited and valued at N20.7 billion.

Following the purchase, Mr Otedola now holds a total of 12.05 billion shares in the financial institution, representing about 27.49 per cent of the company.

The First HoldCo chair’s total shareholding in the company is valued at about N1.65 trillion, based on the company’s share price of N136.90 as of 4:00 p.m. (WAT) on 17 August.

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The businessman has continued to increase his investment in the financial institution since emerging as its largest shareholder in 2021.

READ ALSO: Otedola acquires additional 138 million First HoldCo shares worth ₦18.1 billion

The latest purchase is the second time in August that Mr Otedola has increased his stake, following his acquisition of about 138 million shares in the financial services group, valued at approximately N18.1 billion, about a week ago.

Also, on 30 July, Mr Otedola increased his stake in the financial services group by acquiring an additional 1.78 billion shares valued at about N222.2 billion.

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NGX Trading Volume Surges 127% as Investors Exchange ₦176.06bn in One Week

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August 17, 2026

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Trading activity on the nations bourse recorded a sharp increase in the week ended August 14, 2026, as investors exchanged 12.153 billion shares valued at ₦176.058 billion across 224,146 deals.

The performance represents a 126.8 percent increase in traded volume compared with the 5.359 billion shares worth ₦139.053 billion exchanged in 261,869 deals in the previous week. Turnover value also increased by 26.6 percent, while the number of deals declined by about 14.4 percent.

The increase in activity was also reflected in other trading indicators. Market depth improved to 27.76 percent from 21.67 percent in the previous week, while average daily value traded rose to ₦35.21 billion from ₦27.81 billion.

The Financial Services Industry dominated market activity, accounting for 11.212 billion shares valued at ₦88.991 billion across 102,246 deals. The sector contributed 92.25 percent of total equity turnover by volume and 50.55 percent by value.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry followed with 246.127 million shares worth ₦51.605 billion traded in 27,169 deals, while the Services Industry ranked third with 198.195 million shares valued at ₦1.995 billion across 13,747 deals.

Activity was particularly concentrated in three equities; Fortis Global Insurance Plc, Cornerstone Insurance Plc and Consolidated Hallmark Holdings Plc. The trio accounted for 9.488 billion shares worth ₦36.219 billion in 1,781 deals, representing 78.07 percent of total equity turnover volume and 20.57 percent of turnover value for the week.

The fixed-income segment also recorded increased activity, with investors trading 232,979 units valued at ₦226.258 million in 35 deals, compared with 117,372 units worth ₦121.249 million in the previous week.

In the Exchange Traded Products segment, 2.346 million units valued at ₦501.051 million were traded across 5,291 deals.

Despite the surge in trading activity, the broader equities market closed lower as investors took profits following recent gains. The NGX All-Share Index declined by 1.20 percent to 242,619.20 points, while market capitalisation fell by 1.19 percent to ₦156.624 trillion.

Market breadth, however, showed some improvement. 26 equities appreciated during the week, unchanged from the previous week, while the number of declining equities eased to 59 from 63. 62 equities closed unchanged, compared with 58 in the preceding week.

The market breadth ratio consequently improved to 0.69x from 0.62x in the previous week, indicating a narrower gap between gainers and decliners despite the decline in the benchmark index.

Trans-Nationwide Express Plc led the gainers’ chart with a 32.09 percent increase, followed by International Energy Insurance Plc, which advanced 31.68 percent, and Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, which gained 13.77 percent. On the other side, AVA Capital Plc topped the losers’ chart with a 34.55 percent decline, followed by Unilever Nigeria Plc, down 18.94 percent, and Zichis Agro Allied Industries Plc, which shed 15.08 percent.

Meanwhile, Lasaco Assurance Plc expanded its share capital following the listing of 9.236 billion additional ordinary shares on the NGX Daily Official List on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of five new ordinary shares for every six existing shares held as of February 20, 2026. Following the listing, Lasaco Assurance’s issued and fully paid-up share capital increased from 11.084 billion shares to 20.320 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.

Despite the week’s moderation, the broader market remains firmly positive for the year, with the NGX All-Share Index recording a year-to-date return of 55.91 percent as of August 14.

Sectoral performance has been even stronger in parts of the market, with the NGX Oil and Gas Index up 94.81 percent year-to-date, followed by the NGX Premium Index at 85.14 percent and the NGX Industrial Goods Index at 82.84 percent, underscoring the strength of the market’s gains despite the week’s profit-taking.

The post NGX Trading Volume Surges 127% as Investors Exchange ₦176.06bn in One Week appeared first on Business Today NG.

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