Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are quizzing a Cape Verdean in connection with the unlawful importation of 2kg of cocaine hidden in female handbags. The drug was detected during the inward screening of Emirate passengers at the arrival hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos. The 35 year old Cape Verdean, Rosangela Gomes Gonealves Correia and Olua Uguru Christopher, a 36 year old Nigerian are currently explaining their roles in the illicit import.
NDLEA Lagos Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar said that the Cape Verdean whose statement was obtained in Portuguese has provided useful information to the anti-narcotic investigators. “The statement of the lady was obtained in Portuguese by a language interpreter. Both suspects are calm and cooperating with authorities in the investigation. The parcels of cocaine hidden inside the linings of the female handbags were found during search” Hamza stated.
Olua Uguru Christopher left Nigeria to Paris in search of better employment opportunities in 2001. He is married with two children and hails from Abia State. While Olua said that he sells shoes and shirts, the Cape Verdean claimed to have a restaurant in her country. According to Olua, “I was enticed by the financial incentives. France is a very difficult place to live now because of unemployment problem. If I had succeeded in bringing the drug into the country, I would have invested my share of the profit in business”.
In his reaction, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade has assured that drug traffickers will continue to encounter difficulties in smuggling drugs into the country. “We shall continue to make the entry and exit points impenetrable to drug traffickers. The Cape Verdean will be charged under the NDLEA Act. No infringement under the Act will go unpunished. We are working towards the arrest and prosecution of other members of the drug cell” Giade stated.
Meanwhile, the suspects will soon be charged to court.
