The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken into custody four senior police officers following the interception of $6.1 million at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
The officers, identified as CSP Muhammad Safiyan, ASP Desmond Abella, Inspector Suleiman Jubrin, and Inspector Ali Abubakar, were said to have provided armed escort for two men ,Mamud Abdulras and Yahaya Nasidi, who were caught traveling with the undeclared cash.
Initial statements from the police team claimed the men were “suspects” being moved for an official operation, but investigators from the EFCC and other agencies have cast doubt on that explanation, describing it as inconsistent and suspicious.
Sources within the airport security network confirmed that the men arrived in Lagos aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight and were intercepted at Domestic Terminal Two (DT2) in the early hours of October 11, 2025, just before they were to board Aero Flight N2121 to Abuja.
Upon inspection, security personnel discovered $6,170,000 (six million, one hundred and seventy thousand US dollars) and £15,000 (fifteen thousand pounds sterling) neatly packed inside several boxes.
The enormous cash raised immediate red flags over possible money laundering, prompting swift alerts to anti-graft and intelligence agencies.
Further inquiries revealed that a senior female police officer had reportedly been on hand to receive the two men at the Lagos terminal , a development that has now widened the scope of investigation.
The seized cash and the six male passengers were handed over to the EFCC, which has launched a comprehensive probe into the origin of the funds, the purpose of the movement, and the identities of those behind the operation.
Confirming the development, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale said the initial arrests were made by officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), who later transferred the suspects to the Department of State Services (DSS) before they were taken into EFCC custody for detailed interrogation.
Under Nigeria’s anti–money laundering regulations, travelers are required to declare any amount exceeding $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Meanwhile, the EFCC is said to be tracking communication records and bank trails to determine whether the movement of the funds was linked to any politically exposed persons or high-level syndicates.
