Following an earlier story by 247ureports.com on the arrest of Chief Tony Chukwu, more details concerning the supposed have become available indicating that the Tony Chukwu may have been a victim of procedural oversight on the part of the Airport authorities in Texas, United States of America [USA]. Chief Tony Chukwu was reportedly headed to the USA on a business trip.
According to newly received information, Tony Chukwu had arrived to the USA through the Atlanta Airport on October 1, 2012. He was processed by the US Customs where he declared the sum of $160,000 cash which he had with him. The US Customs recorded the declared amount, and Tony Chukwu was allowed to continue his journey.
From the airport, the Nigerian businessman from Imo State in South East Nigeria proceeded to make purchases of construction equipment and materials for ongoing contract projects in Nigeria.
His first stop was at the All Cranes, an Atlanta company that sells Cranes where he negotiated the purchase of two units of 120 ton cranes.
Two days later he left Atlanta for Houston to continue with the business purchases. He was to visit MUSTANG-CAT where he had previously ordered graders, bulldozers, pay loaders, rollers, pavers etc valued at several millions of dollars funded by a US bank – of which he had placed new order for asphalt pavers, bulldozers and mobile generators.
As Tony Chukwu arrived to the local airport [Hobby Airport] on his way to Dallas, he was asked, according to normal procedure, to transfer the contents of his pockets into his hand held luggage for security scanning. He did as requested. He removed about $4,000 from his pocket and transferred it to the side compartment of his hand held luggage.
A source who was an eyewitness told 247ureports.com that an unfortunate situation developed as Chief Tony Chukwu passed the security check at the Hobby Airport. In the words of the source, “when he passed the security check he noticed that another intending traveler was holding up a bunch of dollar notes asking who the owner was. The Chief checked his hand luggage and discovered that the money he put in the side compartment was not there. He approached the man and said that the money was his. A policewoman who was standing by insisted that she must check through the airport’s security camera to determine the actual owner of the money and after more than an hour of her check, she didn’t make any determination. It was at this point that Chief Chukwu got angry and demanded that the money be returned to him as he was the owner and wouldn’t claim what was not his. He opened his bag and showed the woman and other policemen there that he had other cash money with him and that what fell off was only a part of the money he had in his pocket but removed it for security screening. He told the police that he had previously declared the money at Atlanta airport a few days back and that as a frequent traveler, there was no way he would enter the US with more than USD10,000 without declaring it to the US Customs. He showed the police the declaration documents and they counted the money in his bag and it was USD145,000, yet they didn’t want to release the $4,000 to him”.
The security operatives, in an effort to verify the ownership of the said money, decided to transfer the verification exercise to their station. At the station, the Customs office at Atlanta airport was contacted. The Atlanta office confirmed that Tony Chukwu had declared the money in question as he arrived to the airport.
The source went on to add that Chief Tony Chukwu has “since ordered another 120 ton Grove Crane Model No; PM120 from Maxim Crane Works LP, Bridgeville. He recently bought 5 units of 20inch dredgers from ELLICOTT DREDGER LLC, Baltimore at a huge cost financed by a US bank. He has in the past bought several units of Swamp Buggies from WILCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LLC, Louisiana, 50 Tons of Grove Crane and oversize low-bed from Ritchie Brothers Auction through a licensed agent. Other construction equipment was purchased from MUSTANG-CAT”.
Cursory inquiry reveals that the US Department of Commerce recently honored Tony Chukwu with a prestigious award for his industry activities. Also, the US Embassy in Lagos had honored the Nigerian businessman for his contribution in the enhancement of business relationship between Nigeria and the USA.
Chief Tony Chukwu is the Chairman/CEO of Roudo Nigeria Ltd which employs over 4,000 workers across Nigeria.
The source also mentioned that “With the overriding relevance of his vision for a better future for the infrastructural development of Nigeria and his intransigence to pursue it to manifestation, Chief Tony Chukwu is clearly committed in his quest to build Nigeria for greatness“.
