A narcotic drug, methamphetamine, has been recovered from a patent medicine dealer by men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency deployed in the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The suspect, Chike Pauline, was said to have been nabbed during the outward screening of passengers on board a Rwanda Air flight.
PUNCH Metro learnt that 40-year-old Pauline, who ran a medicine business in the Aba area of Abia, had planned to smuggle the drug to Bujumbura, Burundi.
While confessing to the crime, Pauline described his arrest as ‘unfortunate,’ adding that he was lured into the act out of desperation to raise funds for his wedding.
He said, “I am a patent medicine dealer in Aba, Abia State. My arrest is very unfortunate because I am a hardworking person. I was deceived into drug trafficking because I was desperate to perform my marriage ceremony by the end of the year. I was optimistic that I would not be arrested, but things did not go according to my expectation. What must I do to set myself free from this predicament?”
The commander of the agency at the MMIA, Mr. Umar Hamza, confirmed Pauline’s arrest. He said the suspected smuggler was caught with a kilogramme of substances that tested positive to methamphetamine.
“We have apprehended an Aba-based patent medicine dealer in connection with unlawful possession of one kilogramme of methamphetamine. The 40 year-old suspect was found with the narcotic drug during the outward screening of passengers on Rwanda Air flight. Preliminary investigation conducted by the NDLEA revealed that the suspect was travelling to Bujumbura, Burundi through Kigali,” he said.
The agency’s Chairman, Mr. Ahmadu Giade, said the suspect would be charged to court upon the completion of investigation, adding that his arrest would serve as deterrent to others.
Giade called on members of the public to support the campaign for a drug-free Nigeria.
He said, “The arrest of Chike will serve as a warning to others that they will ultimately be caught with drugs and prosecuted. It does not matter if the trafficker is going to other African countries or outside the continent; we are prepared to intercept all drugs. I hereby call on the members of the public to support the agency’s drug control efforts.”
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