NDLEA Nabs 3 Drug Traffickers At MMIA

The National Drug Law Enforcement  Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos foiled the hope of three suspected drug traffickers to have a lavish yuletide.

The suspects were arrested with 4.91 kg of substances that tested positive to cocaine. Two of them, according to NDLEA Airport Commander, Alhaji Hanza Umar, were arrested on their way from Brazil aboard a Qatar Airways flight while the third was leaving Nigeria for Madrid on an Air Maroc   flight.

Their names were given as Aniagolo Calistus Obinna, 28, Okoli Nnamdi Emmanuel, 29, both of who were coming from Brazil and Damian Chinedu Ezeala, 34 who was going to Madrid, Spain.

Emmanuel, who hails from Anambra State, said he was a receptionist in Senegal, ingested 84 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.600kg and would have been paid N500,000 by his sponsors, adding that the arrest disrupted his planned marriage to a Brazilian.

His words: “I used to work as a receptionist in Senegal. I left  Senegal for Brazil to conclude my marriage arrangements to my Brazilian woman. My coming to Nigeria  was to collect birth certificate and other documents for my marriage. I feel bad because of my proposed marriage that is now uncertain. It is said.

Ezeala was living in Madrid for 10 yeas and he ingested 112 wraps of  cocaine weighing 1.90 kg, one of  the highest quantity ingested within the month. He came to Nigeria on November 29 and was to return in January.

According to him, because of joblessness and the desire to make money for the end of year celebration, he succumbed to pressure to traffic drugs. Ezeala hails from Isiala in Imo State.

NDLEA chairman/chief executive, Ahmadu Giade, said drug barons would not enjoy illicit  drug proceeds, noting, “we are going to make drug trafficking unprofitable to drug  barons. We hope to make it extremely difficult for drug traffickers to smuggle cocaine through intense vigilance and we shall continue to step up efforts on all routes”.

The three suspects will be charged to court soon.

Meanwhile, the theft of the direct data capturing (DDC) machines at the Cargo  tarmac of Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos has brought to the fore the importance of improving security of lives  and property at the airport.

What is more important is the need for the federal government to carry out a comprehensive review of the security arrangement of at the nation’s airports to avoid the kind of embarrassment brought about  by the theft of the DDC machines  and security officials at the  airports all incentives in discharging their duty.