Security officials at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport intercepted and arrested several passengers on Saturday attempting to board a domestic flight with over $6.1 million in undeclared cash.
According to sources who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, the money was being transported by a group of young men suspected to be working on behalf of a politically exposed individual.
The suspects were apprehended during routine checks while attempting to board an Aero Contractors flight at the domestic Terminal 2. Officials from the Aviation Security (AVSEC) unit made the arrest after the airline’s security team flagged the suspicious luggage.
The suspects initially passed through standard airport security checkpoints but were stopped at the aircraft boarding stairs when Aero Contractors personnel noticed their unusually heavy baggage. The airline’s security team advised them to check the bags, but the passengers refused.
The matter was escalated to AVSEC, who subsequently handed the suspects over to the Department of State Services (DSS). Multiple boxes containing undeclared U.S. dollars were discovered in their possession.
A senior official from the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria confirmed that the DSS later transferred the suspects to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
“We are still working with the EFCC to unravel the full details,” a senior AVSEC official stated on Saturday.
Airport sources revealed that the suspects claimed to be security agents escorting a suspect along with exhibits as evidence. However, they failed to declare the cash or follow proper procedures for transporting suspects on commercial flights.
This claim may have initially helped them bypass security screening, but their behaviour aroused suspicion at the boarding gate when AVSEC officers observed the oversized boxes.
Aero Contractors Managing Director Ado Sanusi confirmed the incident, explaining that his airline’s security team grew suspicious when the individuals refused to check their heavy bags.
“What happened was that our security noticed some passengers trying to board our aircraft with bags that were quite heavy. Our security team advised them to check the bags in, as they could not be carried into the cabin,” Sanusi explained.
“They refused to check the bags, and later they said it was money. When asked if the money had been declared, they said no. At that point, our security personnel discovered that the individuals were either police officers or some form of security agents, who claimed they were escorting a suspect along with exhibits.”
Sanusi emphasized that proper protocols exist for transporting suspects on commercial flights, including advance notification requirements and specific boarding, deboarding, and in-flight procedures that separate such passengers from regular travelers.
“Since they failed to follow these procedures, they were not allowed to board, and they eventually left,” he said.
The suspects remain in EFCC custody as investigations continue into the source and intended destination of the substantial cash sum.
