The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained four senior police officers in connection with a major money laundering investigation after $6.1 million in cash was seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The officers – Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Muhammad Safiyan, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Desmond Abella, Inspector Suleiman Jubrin, and Inspector Ali Abubakar – were reportedly escorting two men caught with the cash.
The two suspects, identified as Mamud Abdulras and Yahaya Nasidi, were intercepted on October 11, 2025, at the Domestic Terminal Two (DT2) of the Lagos airport while preparing to board Aero Flight N2121 to Abuja.
Security sources disclosed that the suspects were in possession of $6,170,000 (six million, one hundred and seventy thousand U.S. dollars) and £15,000 (fifteen thousand British pounds) in cash. The huge amount immediately raised suspicions of money laundering.
The four police officers claimed they were accompanying the two men as “suspects” linked to an undisclosed operation. However, EFCC operatives and airport security officials doubted the explanation and flagged the incident for further investigation.
According to reports, a senior female police officer who was at the airport to receive the suspects is also under investigation. Her exact role and involvement in the incident are being examined as part of the broader probe.
Sources said the initial alert was logged at 7:52 a.m. on the day of the incident, shortly before the suspects were scheduled to board their flight. Swift action by airport security personnel led to the discovery and confiscation of the cash.
The EFCC has since launched a full-scale investigation into the origin, purpose, and intended destination of the seized funds. All individuals involved – including the suspects and the police officers – are currently being interrogated.
While the identities of the remaining four individuals who were reportedly travelling with the suspects have not been officially released, the EFCC is working to determine whether the operation was part of a larger criminal network.
EFCC officials are also looking into who authorised the police escort and whether the officers had proper clearance to accompany individuals carrying such a large amount of cash through a domestic terminal.
The use of police officers to accompany persons with suspicious cash has become a growing concern in Nigeria, as law enforcement agents have previously been implicated in shielding money laundering operations.
As the investigation unfolds, the EFCC has assured Nigerians that those found guilty will be prosecuted accordingly. The $6.1 million and £15,000 recovered during the operation remain in custody as evidence.
