The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested an Aviation Security officer and two other suspects over an alleged attempt to smuggle unprocessed gold worth more than N4.4 billion through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.
The Kano Zonal Directorate of the EFCC said the suspects were apprehended on June 11, 2026, during a surveillance operation by the Land and Property Fraud Section. The operation followed a directive by the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, for all zonal directorates to intensify efforts against the smuggling of mineral resources and bulk cash through Nigeria’s international airports.
The anti-graft agency identified the AVSEC officer as Ali Baffa, an Inspector I. The EFCC alleged that Baffa concealed 22.2 kilogrammes of unprocessed gold bars inside his trousers to evade security checks and facilitate their illegal export through outbound international passengers.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Ali Baffa allegedly concealed 22.2 kilogrammes of unprocessed gold bars estimated at over N4,400,000,000 in his trousers, with the intent to bypass security checks and hand over the precious minerals to overseas-bound passengers for illegal export out of Nigeria,” the commission stated.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Aushabu Nasidi, who was allegedly responsible for supplying the gold bars to the AVSEC officer. During his arrest, EFCC operatives recovered several foreign currencies from Nasidi, including 3,000 Saudi Riyals, 40,000 Turkish Lira, 199.75 Kuwaiti Dinars, 20,700 Philippine Pesos, 80 Australian Dollars, 310 Chinese Renminbi, 4,000 Algerian Dinars, 40 Hong Kong Dollars, 26,000 Hungarian Forints and 1,000 Sudanese Dinars.
The probe also led to the arrest of Mukhtar Muhammad Dan Zaria, who allegedly handed the gold bars to Nasidi for onward transfer. While being questioned by investigators, Dan Zaria reportedly admitted to smuggling about 40.2 kilograms of gold between June 1 and June 11, 2026, using the same method.
The EFCC described the concealment method as a deliberate attempt to circumvent security protocols and facilitate the smuggling of Nigeria’s mineral resources out of the country. The commission said all three suspects remain in custody and will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
The arrest comes amid intensified efforts by Nigerian authorities to curb the illegal export of solid minerals, particularly gold, which continues to pose significant economic challenges through revenue losses and the activities of smuggling networks.
