NDLEA nabs China-bound man with 1.185kg drugs at Lagos airport

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, Head, Public Affairs, NDLEA, on Wednesday in Lagos.

The statement said the NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Mr Hamza Umar, noted that Chibude was arrested by NDLEA officers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA) Lagos.

It said the arrest was effected while the suspect was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to China where drug trafficking is punishable by death.

According to the statement, the suspect ingested 1.185kg of whitish substances that tested positive to cocaine.

“We discovered from our investigation that the suspect sold his property in Enugu and invested the proceeds in drug trafficking due to wrong counsel from friends.

“He was apprehended during outward screening of passengers on Qatar flight. The cocaine found on him weighed 1.185kg,” it said.

The statement said the NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, described drug trafficking as criminal and warned that those who seek wealth from criminality shall end up in prisons.

“NDLEA is combating drug trafficking with every resource at its disposal. Drug trafficking is criminal and the gains of a drug-free society is priceless.

“The lesson to be learnt from this case is that those who seek quick wealth from drug trafficking will end up in prison custody,” the statement quoted Giade as saying.

It added that the suspect’s case was particularly instructive because he invested N2 million in drug trafficking which would have led to his untimely death if he was caught in China.

The statement said that confessing to the crime, the suspect who hails from Enugu State, said he invested N2 million in drug trafficking because he wanted to earn N4 million profit in return.

“I am married with a child. I used to sell clothes and my business was flourishing in 2007. My problem started in 2008 such that I lost all my three big shops.

“I see it as a spiritual attack because I lost everything I had laboured for to acquire over the years. I sold the only property I have in Enugu with the hope of relocating to Lagos.

“Unfortunately, I listened to wrong advice and invested my last savings in cocaine business. They assured me that I could earn twice the amount I invested in the deal but I am regretting my action,” it quoted him as saying.

The statement said he was unaware that drug trafficking attracted capital punishment in China, adding that he was only thinking about the profit he would have made from the trip.

The statement said the suspect would soon be charged to court.