SHAME!
•51-year-old stroke patient engages in drug trafficking,
meets waterloo
By CHRIS ANUCHA
Thursday, November 22, 2007
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•Thomas
Okoro
Pix: Sun News Publishing |
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A 51-year-old man, who is suffering from paralysis, was among
the suspects arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International
airport (NIAA) for being in possession of hard drugs.
The suspect, Nwokeocha Thomas, was arrested at about 8.30
pm on October 20, during the screening of passengers aboard
KLM airline to London, following a confirmation of an x-ray
test conducted on him.
Thomas is said to be based in Lome, Togo, with his wife and
four children. The suspect, a native of Abiriba town in Ohafia
Local Government Area of Abia State, claimed that he was a
successful businessman before he suffered stroke and was bedridden
for one year. He said: "When my situation improved, I
did not know what to do. I had no money and I needed to continue
my treatment. That was how I accepted to take the drugs for
2,000 pounds.
Another suspect, Asomba Daniel Chinedu, 32, said it was an
agent who persuaded and encouraged him to swallow the drugs
which were to be excreted in Switzerland for a fee of 2,000
dollars. Asomba was arrested on November 1, 2007, on his way
to Manchenstein, Switzerland, where he lives with his Swiss
wife. He ingested 36 wraps of cocaine weighing 500 gramms.
Daniel, a native of Awgu town in Agwu Local Government Area
of Enugu State, claimed that a Nigerian, Mark, who he met
at an African shop in Switzerland, was the owner of the drug.
Another suspect, Onyekwere Donatus Onyegbuleonweya, 33, allegedly
attempted to export 69 wraps of cocaine weighing 1 kilogramme.
He was detected to have ingested hard drugs on November 12,
2007, during the outward screening of KLM passengers to Amsterdam.
The suspect, a native of Umuchiezie town in Ahiazu Local Government
Area of Imo State, lives in Hagen, West Germany and married
to a German lady. He claimed to have collected a loan of 24,000
Euro which he invested in a business in which he suffered
a serious loss.
Donatus said: "I took a loan of 24,000 Euro. I paid 470
Euro monthly, unfortunately, I invested the money in spare
parts business which collapsed because I was duped. I came
to Nigeria on October 26, 2007, to visit my relatives and
also to receive treatment for waist pains. I exhausted all
my money, including my ticket money. The 2,000 Euro I was
promised for carrying the drugs was to enable me to settle
part of the monthly re-payment and to manage my life".
Meanwhile, the NDLEA commander at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport (NAIA) Alhaji Hamza Umar, has assured Nigerians that
the command would deploy available resources to prevent drug
traffickers from using the airport for illicit drug trafficking.
Hamza, who is also a member of the Presidential Committee
headed by Captain Shehu Iyal to prevent drug trafficking through
the nation’s airport and to improve security, has this
to say about Okoro: "He has utterly disregarded his age,
medical condition, his family name and the reputation of the
country and the law must definitely take its course."
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