A 50-year-old man, Aniebue Nnamma who was arrested alongside three drug couriers by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, has revealed why he inserted eleven wraps of cocaine weighing 460g in his anus.
The suspects were nabbed on Friday while attempting to export narcotics with a total weight of 8.8kg to different countries.
37-year-old Nzube Chukwudi, an indigene of Anambra State, who was traveling on a Ghanaian passport with the name, Sokpe Zubbye, ingested 955g of cocaine, while Obinna Obi (30), an aluminium fabricator from Umuahia, Abia State, had in his possession 5.2kg of Indian hemp heading for Doha, Qatar.
Both Nnamma and Chukwudi were traveling to China, when they were nabbed.
Nnamma, who sells clothes at the Aswani Market Lagos, blamed his involvement in drug trafficking on financial troubles.
He explained that he initially considered ingesting the drugs but feared for his life.
“I was afraid of swallowing the drug so I inserted the drugs in my anus. I was afraid it might burst in my stomach.
“Poor patronage in my business and family problems turned me into a pauper but now I regret everything,” he said.
Chukwudi on the other hand, said he was promised N1m to smuggle the drug.
He said he worked in China as a freight forwarder, adding that the recession in Nigeria made it difficult for him to pay his bills and could not resist the job of drug trafficking.
“Since I live in China, I felt it would be easy for me to go through security checks but unfortunately I was caught,” he said.
Obi on his part, explained that he had nothing to do with the hemp that was found in his possession.
According to him, he was an unwitting drug mule.
Obi said, “My friend gave me a bag to deliver to Doha but during the screening of passengers, NDLEA officials discovered Indian hemp inside it.”
A statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, confirming the arrest, said another suspect, 38-year-old musical instrument trader at the Alaba International Market, Lagos, Ugwuezumba Arinze, was apprehended with 2.130kg of methamphetamine, which he ingested. He was on his way to Indonesia.
“All four suspects are under investigation and they would be charged to court soon,” the statement added.
The Chairman of NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.) said drug couriers must see beyond the monetary gains of drug trafficking as they might be courting death.
Abdallah has promised that the agency’s men would remain watchful in intercepting drugs and apprehending traffickers at all entry and exit points.
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