NDLEA nabs computer dealer with 16.09g of cocaine at Lagos airport

Few days after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) issued a warning on Nigeria-Brazil route, officials of the anti-narcotic agency have arrested a 50-year-old computer merchant with 16.09kg of cocaine on arrival from Brazil.

The suspect was arrested at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMIA), Lagos, during the inward screening of Etihad passengers.

The agency said the drug was concealed in 15 hand bags inside his luggage and that the estimated street value of the drug is N150 million.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, Hamza Umar, who disclosed this on Saturday, said the suspect travelled with a Camerounian passport with the name, Nana Njamen Theophile.

“We have arrested a man with 30 parcels of cocaine on his way from Brazil. The suspect came into the country with a Camerounian passport with the name, Nana Njamen Theophile.”

“Investigation later revealed that he hails from Anambra State, with the name, Okafor Godswill. The case is currently under investigation”.

According to the anti-drug agency, the suspect, in his statement, said he was given $6,000 to bring the drug into Nigeria.

“I attended Boys Secondary School, Nnewi, Anambra State. I sell computer accessories at Onitsha. I am married with two children.

“I needed money to pay my bills and there was no help. I agreed to bring the drug into Nigeria for the sum of $6,000.

“I did not even see the drug until it was detected by the NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport.

“They gave me the small bags in Brazil that it contained drugs, but it was packed in such a way that you have to cut it open to see the cocaine”, he explained.
NDLEA Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade, who had before now placed the Nigeria-Brazil route on surveillance, expressed satisfaction with the arrest, attributing it to improved security checks.

According to him, “this arrest is an indication that Nigeria-Brazil route is not safe for drug traffickers.

“I am happy with the arrest considering the worth of the drugs.

“This is a double victory for the agency because we have the drug and the suspect. The suspect will soon be prosecuted”.