Drug ingestion as a means of evading arrest has turned suicidal for a 34 year old commercial bus driver in Lagos who met his untimely death over a wrap that ruptured. The deceased, Ozoani Sunny Edwin allegedly returned from Brazil onboard a South African Airline flight at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA).
During screening, he tested positive to drug ingestion and was placed on observation. He excreted 10 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine weighing 180 grammes. While still under observation, he complained of stomach pain and was rushed to the hospital where he eventually died. A post-mortem examination revealed that his death was due to one of the wraps of cocaine he ingested that ruptured in his stomach.
Worried by the sudden demise of the drug suspect coupled with other Nigerians in death roll in foreign countries over drug related offences, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade reiterated his call for stiffer penalties for drug trafficking.
According to Giade, “until we get the penalty right, drug trafficking will remain attractive. Every case of drug trafficking involving type A drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine runs into several millions of naira. We must therefore wield the big stick against offenders to serve as deterrence. I am optimistic that adherence to stringent bail conditions and minimum of 15 years jail term will turn the tide of events”.
Giade described the death as sad and painful. “This death is sad and painful. The deceased would have been alive to face trial and ultimately given opportunity to learn from his mistakes. I urge members of the public to shun drug trafficking and make quality choices that will enable them maximise their destinies” the NDLEA boss opined.
NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar added that the family members of the deceased have applied for the corpse to be released to them after the autopsy. “Following the sad incident, we made contact with the family members. They also witnessed the operation where the ruptured wrap of cocaine that killed their son was recovered from his stomach. The Agency has also granted their request for the corpse to release to them” Hamza explained.
Preliminary investigation showed that the deceased Ozoani Sunny Edwin travelled to Brazil in search of greener pastures on 3rd of March 2012. He told investigators that the drug deal was not in his plan when he left the country. In the words of Ozoani, “I am a bus driver and I came to Lagos in 2000. I was able to save 850,000 naira that I used in travelling to Brazil in search of better jobs. The condition I met in Brazil was unbearable. I had language problem and also lacked work permit. I suffered until a Brazilian lured me into the drug deal as a last resort because I was almost stranded”.
Ozoani hails from Enugu State. He attended Nwueodobo Primary School Ngwo and Christ High School Abor both in Enugu State. He lived at Ejigbo area of Lagos.
