Two individuals have been detained at Lagos airport after security personnel discovered they were carrying thousands of dollars and pounds sterling in undeclared cash while attempting to board a domestic flight.
Mamud Nasidi and Yahaya Nasidi were intercepted at the domestic terminal of Murtala Muhammed Airport during standard pre-boarding checks. The pair had $6,180 and £53,415 in their possession when they were stopped before boarding an Aero Contractors aircraft.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has taken over the case. Investigators from the agency’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 at Okotie Eboh in Ikoyi have begun looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Capt Ado Sanusi, the Managing Director of Aero Contractors, explained what happened. He told reporters that the airline’s head of security informed him about a flight delay caused by the discovery.
Security agents noticed the passengers carrying bulky luggage into the cabin. When staff suggested checking the bags if they could not fit in the cabin, the passengers refused. They explained the bags contained money, which prompted questions about proper declaration procedures.
The passengers then claimed to be security agents transporting a suspect, describing the cash as evidence. Airline security personnel questioned why established protocols for handling suspects were not being followed.
Another security agent eventually intervened and decided the group would not be traveling. At that point, the passengers were removed from the flight.
Sanusi acknowledged uncertainty about the exact amount of money involved but confirmed the incident led to the flight’s temporary delay. The airline followed standard procedures throughout the encounter, ensuring compliance with regulations governing the transportation of large sums of cash and the movement of suspects on commercial flights.
