Over $6.1 million in undeclared cash was intercepted at the domestic wing of Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed Airport (MM2) on Saturday, leading to the arrest of several passengers.
The suspects—a group of young men believed to be working for a politically exposed person—were attempting to board an Aero Contractors flight.
While they reportedly cleared earlier security points, they were stopped at the foot of the aircraft after Aero Contractors security flagged their heavy luggage.
Aviation Security (AVSEC) was notified and took the individuals into custody.
The matter was then escalated, with the suspects and the cash being transferred first to the Department of State Services (DSS) and finally to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where they are currently held for investigation.
‘We are still working with the EFCC to unravel the full details’, a senior AVSEC official said on Saturday.
The suspects’ initial claim—that they were security agents escorting a suspect and exhibits—may have helped them clear initial screening, despite the fact that they failed to declare the cash or follow standard procedure.
This facade collapsed at the boarding gate when AVSEC officers became suspicious of their oversized boxes.
Aero Contractors’ Managing Director, Ado Sanusi, confirmed that the airline’s security flagged the men for refusing to check in the heavy bags, and they subsequently admitted the money inside was undeclared.
“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.
“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. That was why they resisted checking in the bags.
“We then informed them that if they were transporting a suspect, they were required to notify us in advance. There are standard procedures for moving suspects; we don’t mix them with regular passengers.
“There are boarding, deboarding, and in-flight protocols that must be followed in such cases. Since they failed to follow these procedures, they were not allowed to board, and they eventually left,” Sanusi
said.
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