Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 47 year-old Odili James Onyekwere at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos for trafficking 270g of banned substance which tested positive for cocaine. Odili upon his arrest excreted 25 wraps of the cocaine substance.
NDLEA’S Head of Public Affairs of NDLEA, Ofoyeju Michell, in a statement released yesterday said the arrest was made during the outward screening of passengers on a Kenyan Airways flight to Ivato International Airport Antananarivo, Madagascar. The NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba while commenting on the arrest said
“This is the first arrest and seizure in the year heading to Madagascar from this airport. The suspect, Odili James Onyekwere successfully excreted twenty-five (25) wraps of cocaine which he ingested while under close observation. He is cooperating with our team of investigators and the case will soon be charged to court”
When interrogated, Odili who hails from Rivers state said
“I am married with two children and I sell shoes in Lome, Togo. As a result of the economic downturn my capital kept depreciating until I lost everything. This is my first time of smuggling drugs. It was the frustration of not being able to provide for my wife and two children that made me to smuggle cocaine. They promised to pay me a thousand dollars”.