Two Lebanese nationals held by men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) for alleged money laundering have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Rivers State.
The two Lebanese: Dina Khalil and Chamseddine Mohammed, were arrested enroute Labanon when customs men at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, allegedly found $890,000 cash on them.
The Area Controller of NCS at the airport, Auwal Mohammed, told newsmen that Khalil had on him $670,000 while $220,000 was found on Mohammed at the time of their arrest.
The area controller said it was most likely that the money was being smuggled out of the country.
He said, “The two suspects were arrested because they attempted to smuggle the money out of the country without making proper declaration to the officials of Nigerian Customs Service.”
In his remarks, the Principal Detective of the EFCC, Port-Harcourt Zone, Macaulay Olayinka, pledged thorough investigation of the alleged crime, adding that the suspects would be prosecuted, if found culpable.
Meanwhile, residents of Ngo community in the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, have lamented the continued closure of the general hospital in the area since February over alleged insecurity.
The President, National Union of Andoni Students, Efuk Festus, during a tour of the hospital, expressed sadness that the health facility had been taken over by grasses.
He appealed to the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to order its reopening in order to avert further loss of lives in the area.
It was learnt that doctors posted to the health facility in Ngo had abandoned their duty and shut it down for fear of being kidnapped.
It was further gathered that the hospital had been under lock and key for the past seven months as doctors posted to the facility refused to resume for duty, a development that forced the residents to seek medical assistance in other places.
Festus said, “Our general hospital has been shut down since February this year; grasses have taken over and it’s saddening that sick people here are usually stranded and can’t get medical assistance.
“We are begging the governor to immediately order the reopening of the facility for the sake of the Obolo people as our people are suffering.
“This is the seventh month this hospital has been under lock and key; we heard that doctors have been posted here, but we have yet to see them and this is making us to become worried.”

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana