THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested suspects aboard Ethiopian Airlines over drug-related matters five times in the past six weeks.
In a case in which the NDLEA and the Nigerian Police clashed, the Police claimed it arrested suspected drug dealers, namely, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Enugu State, on January 19.
The suspects were arrested while arriving from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.
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The Police said that the arrest led to the recovery of a substantial quantity of powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from the two suspects.
The NDLEA accused the embattled former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team Abba Kyari of being a member of the drug syndicate. Kyari, wanted by the FBI, is standing trial in the Nigerian court over the drugs accusation.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi on February 27, the agency said its anti-narcotics officers seized 649,300 capsules of Tramadol 225mg weighing 460.95kg at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company cargo warehouse of the Lagos Airport.
The NDLEA arrested one Nwadu Ekene Christian in connection with the seizure.
Christian allegedly imported the drug from Pakistan via Addis Ababa through Ethiopian Airlines on Wednesday, February 16.
The NDLEA through another statement on March 13 said its operatives arrested the General Overseer of Christ Living Hope Church Ugochukwu Emmanuel for carrying 54 sticks of drugs.
The agency arrested the preacher at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, last Monday.
Pastor Emmanuel was on his way to a crusade in Nairobi, Kenya, according to the agency.
Similarly, in the statement, the agency said it apprehended another passenger Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King, who arrived at the Lagos Airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa.
The NDLEA said it intercepted the suspect during the inward clearance of passengers at the E-Arrival Hall of the airport.
“During a search of his luggage, forty (40) parcels of Cocaine concealed inside bottles of body cream with a gross weight of 9.70kg were recovered from the suspect,” the NDLEA said.
Another suspect arrested on Ethiopian Airlines was one Edo Blessing.
On Wednesday, March 9, Blessing was arrested on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy with 2,090 Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam tablets.
The ICIR reporter contacted the Media Consultant for the Airline Ikechi Uko on Sunday evening for a reaction to the findings.
Uko promised to forward the request to the airline because his office (another company) only consults for the airline.
General Manager of the airline in Nigeria Shimeles Arage signed the response sent to this newspaper by Uko.
Arage said: “This can happen to any Airline and (has) nothing to do with the airline. Rather we are working hand in hand with (the) authorities to curb such activities. Security and bag screening is not controlled by airlines. The security and scanning of passengers is not done by the airline.
“The airline does not own the scanning machines and only passengers that have been screened are allowed to board the airline. The airline only carries passengers that have been screened and cleared by other agencies.
“Ethiopian airlines flies to four airports in Nigeria and over 55 Airports in Africa. It has been flying to Nigeria since 1960 so it is well patronised by Nigerians.”
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org