The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday questioned the entire crew on Arik Air flight W3101 that left the country for London Heathrow Airport on Monday for questioning.
The NDLEA had vowed to sanction Arik Air over the arrest of an attendant caught with cocaine.
Those invited, including some support staff that worked on the flight before it departed Lagos, are still with the narcotic investigators at the Ikoyi Headquarters of the NDLEA.
Also invited were two pilots and members of the cabin crew comprising an Australian and a South African.
A statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mitchell Ofoyeju, read in part, “The invitation which was made by the agency was swiftly complied with by the management of Arik Air.
“The crew members were conveyed to the NDLEA office in an official bus belonging to Arik Air.
“This is part of ongoing investigation to determine their level of involvement in the smuggling of 20 kg of cocaine found with Chika Egwu Udensi, a member of the cabin crew in London.
“The latest Range Rover car belonging to the prime suspect parked on the airline’s premises had also been moved to the NDLEA office as exhibit.”
Operatives also went to Udensi’s house and are expected to submit a comprehensive statement today.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has ordered the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to carry out stringent and thorough screening of all crew members of airlines, particularly those operating international flights.
The presidency is reportedly embarrassed by the development, which has dented the image of the country.
It has, therefore, ordered the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Mrs. Binta Bello, to immediately send out a circular to the DSS to regularly carry out strict and thorough checks on cabin crew.
Similarly, all the privileges aviation professionals enjoyed before the incident have been ordered withdrawn.
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