According to preliminary investigations, the police officers claimed they were escorting the two men as “suspects” in connection with an undisclosed operation.
Authorities have identified four senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force who escorted two men found with $6.1 million in cash at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The officers, identified as CSP Muhammad Safiyan, ASP Desmond Abella, Inspector Suleiman Jubrin, and Inspector Ali Abubakar, were said to have accompanied Mamud Abdulras and Yahaya Nasidi, the individuals who were intercepted with the money.
According to preliminary investigations, the police officers claimed they were escorting the two men as “suspects” in connection with an undisclosed operation.
However, anti-graft officials are questioning the authenticity of that claim, as well as the source and purpose of the large cash movement.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained the officers as part of ongoing efforts to uncover who authorised the escort and the ownership of the funds.
A senior female police officer who reportedly received the two men on arrival via an Ethiopian Airlines flight is also being investigated.
According to official reports, the incident occurred on October 11, 2025, at Domestic Terminal Two (DT2) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. The initial report was filed at 7:52 a.m., shortly before the suspects were scheduled to board Aero Flight N2121 to Abuja.
Security personnel discovered a total of $6,170,000 (six million, one hundred and seventy thousand US dollars) and £15,000 (fifteen thousand pounds sterling) in the possession of six male intending passengers.
The discovery immediately raised suspicions of money laundering, prompting an urgent alert to relevant security and anti-corruption agencies.
The large cash haul was subsequently seized as evidence, and the individuals involved were detained for questioning while the EFCC launched a full-scale investigation into the source and intended destination of the funds.
Earlier, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that the initial two suspects, Mamud Abdulras and Yahaya Nasidi, were in their custody.
Oyewale said the operatives were apprehended by operatives of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS), which handed them over to the anti-graft agency.
The suspects were apprehended during routine security screening after officers discovered several boxes containing large sums of undeclared U.S. dollars.
Under Nigeria’s anti–money laundering laws, travelers carrying cash exceeding $10,000 are required to declare the amount to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
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