A suspected drug trafficker, Ilo Chidera Alex, who was in possession of 15.850kg of cocaine hidden inside make-up brushes, valued at N126 million, said he decided to carry the substance because he was sick and tired of living in Brazil.
Alex, 27, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja by eagle eyed agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The agency’s spokesman, Mitchel Ofoyeju, said: “The suspect was apprehended following the interception of the drugs inside his luggage at the Abuja Airport while returning from Brazil. The estimated value of the drug is N126 million.”
The NDLEA Commander at the Abuja Airport, Hamisu Lawan, said Alex was found with drugs during routine check of passengers on an Emirate flight.
Lawan’s words: “Alex was arrested with 15.850kg of cocaine concealed inside make-up brushes. The suspect took off from Sao Paulo enroute Dubai to Abuja. The drug was detected during routine check of passengers. Investigation has since commenced and the suspect will be charged to court soon.”
The suspect said: “I went to Brazil in search of job opportunities. In the process, I was stranded because I had no job and money to sustain myself. That was how I met a man who promised to buy my flight ticket back to Nigeria. He gave me the bag of make-up brushes to take to Nigeria and also promised to give me some money to start my own business. At the Abuja airport, the drug was discovered in my luggage.”
According to Ofoyeju, the NDLEA recently prevented six drug suspects from going to Hong Kong where drug trafficking is punishable by death.
They were found with 7.145kg of cocaine, which they ingested in a bid to evade arrest.
The names of the suspects were given as Ekechi Ikechukwu Ferdinand, 36, found with 1.616kg; Okonkwo Okwuchukwu Paul, 20, found with 1.103kg; Azubuogu Emmanuel Obumneme, 30, caught with 1.450kg; Okechi Tochukwu Anthony, 34, found with 935 grammes; Anozie Uzoma Henry, 34, caught with 874 grammes; and Okafor Ifeanyi Francis, 51, found with 1.167kg.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, while decrying the unfortunate plight of some citizens who are awaiting execution on drug related offences in Indonesia, said he was shocked that some people still stubbornly continued to traffick in drugs.
Giade said: “It’s sad that at a time when the fate of some citizens is uncertain following their involvement in drug trafficking, we recording new arrest. Apart from the young man that imported 15.850kg of cocaine from Brazil, we recently apprehended six passengers going to Hong Kong in the same flight at the Abuja Airport. The NDLEA will continue to work with the government towards ensuring that our citizens on death row in foreign countries get succour through presidential clemency.”