In a significant development, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the apprehension of a 67-year-old drug trafficker, Mr. Chukwuemeka Clement, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
He was taken into custody for ingesting a shocking 100 wraps of cocaine. Clement’s story unveils a tale of desperation and reinvention after spending three decades abroad.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, shared that Clement confessed to engaging in drug trafficking with the goal of raising sufficient funds to marry a new wife and embark on a fresh start. His life journey had led him through 30 years in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Thailand, and he found himself at a crossroads, prompting his involvement in this illicit trade.
The dramatic arrest unfolded during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight 951 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Clement underwent a body scan, revealing multiple pellets concealed in his stomach. Subsequently, he excreted a total of 100 wraps of cocaine, weighing 2.195 kg, in four separate incidents.
“In his statement, he claimed to have spent 30 years in Brazil, Ethiopia and Thailand, while he was once married, but lost his wife and without a child. He added that was why he decided to go into drug trafficking to raise enough money to marry a new wife and start life afresh,” Babafemi stated.
Simultaneously, on the same day, NDLEA operatives stationed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, intercepted a 45-year-old woman named Bilkisu Mohammed Bello. She was preparing to board a Saudi Airlines flight to Saudi Arabia when she was apprehended.
He said that while being interviewed, “she confessed that pellets of cocaine given to her to swallow before her flight were kept in a house in Farawa area of Kano. When she led NDLEA officers to the house, 52 wraps of the illicit substance with a total weight of 767 grams were recovered.”
These arrests underscore the unrelenting efforts of the NDLEA in combating drug trafficking, as well as the determination of individuals who resort to extreme measures in pursuit of a new beginning.
| Sahara Reporters
