The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MMIA

  • Kenyan ‘pilgrim’ caught with heroin

    Kenyan ‘pilgrim’ caught with heroin

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, has begun investigations into the arrest of a 32-year-old Kenyan, Imeldah Awino Noah, who was caught with a substance suspected to be heroin.

    The suspect, who was in the country under the pretext of being on pilgrimage, was arrested following the discovery of the substance inside two pairs of female sandals in her luggage. The seizure took place during inward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight from Addis Ababa.

    It was also gathered that she left Nairobi, Kenya for Bujumbura where she collected the luggage containing the drugs before proceeding to Nigeria through Addis Ababa.

    Confirming the arrest, NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr Hamza Umar, said: “The drug was found inside the soles of two pairs of female sandals as well as in a false bottom of her luggage. She is cooperating with our investigating team.”

    Imeldah recounted her journey into the world of crime, saying: “My best friend masterminded my involvement in drug trafficking. I am a diploma holder in Community Health and Development at the African Institute of Development Studies in Western Kenyan town of Kisumu, Nyanza Province. After my one-year volunteer service, I searched for employment. My friend introduced me to her Nigerian boyfriend who offered to assist me by sponsoring my trip to Nigeria. Initially, I was reluctant but my friend persuaded me. They bought my ticket and gave me the bag containing clothes where the heroin was concealed. On arrival at the Lagos airport, the drug was detected.”

    Imeldah also told the investigators that she loved coming to Nigeria to receive blessings from her unnamed spiritual father.

    NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Ahmadu Giade urged the public not to be ignorant of the machinations of drug trafficking syndicates.

    “Drug barons sometimes present themselves as philanthropists. They will offer you free tickets and make all travel arrangements but the ultimate objective is to get you to smuggle their drugs from one point to another. The public should be on the alert and report suspected drug barons to the agency,” Giade said, adding that the suspect would soon be charged to court.

     

  • Customs arrests passenger with $1.9m

    A passenger carrying $1,909,140 allegedly in his luggage was arrested yesterday by the Customs at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

    Customs Airport Command spokesperson Mrs Thelma Williams identified the passenger as Mr Ani Paulinus Onyeka, who came into the country aboard ASKY Airlines flight from Congo Democratic Republic.

    She said the passenger did not declare the cash, which was found after physical examination by Customs personnel at the baggage hall.

    Mrs Williams said: “During the inward clearance of ASKY flight No: KP 041 from Congo Democratic Republic on February 9, 2014 about 12:30hrs, Mr Ani Paulinus Onyeka with Nigeria Passport No A00923933, upon normal routine examination, his luggage was found to contain one million, six hundred and twenty thousand US dollars ($1,620,000USD), carefully concealed.

    “On physical counting of the money, it was discovered to be one million, nine hundred and nine thousand and forty USD ($1,909,140USD) as against the 1,620,000 dollars earlier discovered when the passenger was apprehended. The passenger and the said currency have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives for further investigation.”

  • Why SSS operatives were removed from immigration points, by FAAN

    Why SSS operatives were removed from immigration points, by FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) yesterday gave reasons for the withdrawal of State Security Services (SSS) from immigration points at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

    FAAN’s spokesman Yakubu Dati said SSS operatives were withdrawn from Immigration points because their services at such points could affect passengers’ facilitation.

    In a statement yesterday, Dati said: “The FAAN wishes to correct the wrong impression that the services of the SSS were withdrawn from Immigration points at our international airports because such services were unnecessary at airports and they inhibit passenger facilitation.

    “Nothing could be further from the truth because government security services are pivotal to aviation security service internationally, even though their functions are secret in nature.

    “For the purpose of clarity, some government agencies at airports, including the SSS, were recently relocated from the Immigration counters at our international airports, to enable FAAN achieve the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA’s) requirement that passenger facilitation be completed within six minutes of arrival, in line with international standards and practices.”

  • NDLEA arrests man with 107 ATM cards

    NDLEA arrests man with 107 ATM cards

    Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted one hundred and seven (107) Citi Bank credit cards.

    The automated teller machine cards were detected inside a luggage during the outward screening of Turkish Airline passengers to Istanbul, Turkey at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

    A 36- year-old man with dual identity has been apprehended in connection with the discovered cards.

    NDLEA’s Airport commander, Hamza Umar, said that the suspect had two international passports bearing his photographs but with different names.

    “He had a Nigerian passport with the name Funsho Oladimeji Babatunde and a Turkish passport with the name Kosar Kursat both bearing his photographs.

    “The cards found in his luggage are 68 Citi Interswitch Master Cards and 39 Citi Interswitch Visa cards,” Hamza stated.

    The suspect, who is a native of Iwo town in Kwara State, lives in Surulere Lagos.

    The Ordinary National Diploma (OND) graduate of the Kwara State Polytechnic told investigators that he was taking the cards to a friend in Turkey.

    “My friend in Turkey called me that I should help in sending the cards to him in Istanbul, Turkey.

    “When I collected the cards in Lagos, I kept them in my bag but during search, the officer saw the cards and took me for interrogation. I am an OND graduate of Economics at the Kwara State Polytechnic,” he explained.

    Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, directed that the suspect be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.

    He said: “Preliminary investigation suggests that the suspect had unlawful possession of 107 credit cards.

    “The financial instruments are believed to be used for fraudulent purposes since he is not an authorised agent.”

  • DANA Air resumes flight operations

    DANA Air resumes flight operations

    EARLY 17 weeks after its aircraft were temporarily banned, DANA Air resumed scheduled operations yesterday.

    Safety and aircraft inspectors from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) were involved in the test flight of the airline’s MD 83 aircraft.

    The aircraft took off from the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

    The resumption of DANA Air yesterday raised the stake of competition in domestic air travel. The airline offered the lowest fare on resumption.

    At the Departure Hall of the MMIA 2, the Chief Operating Officer, Yvan Drewinsky said the airline had closed open items identified in the audit supervised by the NCAA.

    He said the issues in the NCAA audit had nothing to do with safety, but operational procedures and processes.

    The airline chief explained that the closure of the open items led to lifting of the suspension on its operations.

     

    Drewinsky assured that the airline would not treat the safety and comfort of its clients with levity.

    The Dana chief added that while on suspension, its

  • New chillers for MMIA soon

    The problem with the cooling system at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos will soon be a thing of the past, as new chillers will soon be installed at the airport.

    The Federal Government, according to the spokesman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), Mr Yakubu Dati opted for a replacement of the cooling system at the terminal as a lasting solution to the epileptic cooling system at the terminal which was installed over 32 years ago .

    The old chillers, Dati said, has become obsolete and difficult to maintain, adding that it explains the sub-optimal performance of the cooling system at the terminal for some time.

    The procurement and installation of the three new chillers, Dati further said is due to be completed within the first quarters of 2014.

    He said the new chillers when installed is expected to substantially improve the cooling system and thereby enhance passenger comfort at the terminal, in line with FAAN’s mission of providing customer-centric services at all our airports.

    Dati said: ”This will also complement other efforts being made by the Federal Government, under the Transformation Agenda in the aviation industry, to modernise facilities at Nigerian airports in line with international standards and best practices.”

  • NDLEA nabs student for importing hemp

    NDLEA nabs student for importing hemp

    •I bought it with my tuition, says suspect

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a twenty year-old undergraduate at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos for importing 1.745 kilogrammes of dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis popularly known as hemp.

    The suspect, Udiomeh Kufre Ita, was found in possession of the drug during the inward screening of passengers on an Africa World Airlines flight from Accra Ghana at the weekend.

    NDLEA Lagos Airport commander, Hamza Umar, said that the drug was detected during routine screening of passengers.

    He said: “The drug was hidden inside his bag containing personal effects. He was immediately arrested and the case is under investigation.”

    The suspect, who reportedly gained admission into the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Regent University, is currently assisting narcotic investigators assigned to the case.

    In his confessional statement, Ita said that he used his tuition fees to purchase the drug found on him.

    According to him: “I spent my school fees on cell phone, smoking hemp and attending night clubs. I bought a cell phone for N107,000 and spent my school fees recklessly.

    “I thought I could make enough profit from the sale of cannabis to offset the deficit in my tuition. I bought each parcel of hemp for 220 Ghana cedi.

    “I did not know what came over me and I am afraid to go to my parents. My father is a retiree.”

  • Spare parts dealer hides heroin in stomach

    Spare parts dealer hides heroin in stomach

    •Syndicate abandons drug at airport

    A 38-year-old auto spares’ dealer, Ohagwu Ernest Ifeanyi, who attempted boarding a Qatar Airline Flight to China with 735 grammes of substance suspected to be heroin hidden in his stomach, has been arrested. The drug, weighing 10.005 kilogrammes, is valued at over N80 million.

    A suspected drug syndicate also abandoned 9.27 kilogrammes of heroin brought in from Pakistan at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

    Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) discovered the drug inside an abandoned luggage on the conveyor belt during the inward screening of passengers on an Emirate Flight.

    NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport Mr Hamza Umar described the seizure is a good way to start the year, considering the value of the drug.

    “The heroin seizures comprising 9.270kg imported from Pakistan and 735 grammes ingested by one Ohagwu Earnest Ifeanyi weighed 10.005 kilogrammes. The suspect was arrested following a positive test for drug ingestion,” Hamza stated.

    Ifeanyi, who hails from Enugu State, said: “I sell auto spares at Onitsha where I live with my wife and two children. My involvement in drugs was to enable me recover the N2 million loss I incurred in my business. A friend of mine who is based in China introduced me to drug trafficking. They were to pay me 2,500 dollars. They gave me the heroin to swallow in a hotel room in Lagos, but I was arrested at the airport.”

    Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said: “Drug cartels only abandon their highly valued drugs when it becomes impossible to beat security checks. This seizure clearly underscores the agency’s steady progress in counter-narcotics operations.”

    “Besides taking the seized drug out of circulation, we have also prevented the suspect from facing possible death penalty in China for drug trafficking. The agency will leave no stone unturned in the fight against drug barons,” Giade added.

  • ‘One robbery operation fetched me N45m’

    ‘One robbery operation fetched me N45m’

    An armed robbery suspect yesterday recalled how his gang leader almost killed him and his cohorts after an operation in which they got a huge money from some Bureau de Change operators at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

    The suspect, simply identified as Samuel aka Asiwaju, who is being interrogated by operatives of the Lagos State Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), said he participated in the infamous MMIA robbery, where billions of naira were stolen.

    He said: “After the robbery in March 2013, we packed a lot of money; it should be over a billion naira because our bags were filled with dollars and other currencies. The thing that surprised me was that immediately our leader, Arab saw the amount of the money, he pulled his General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and wanted to shoot us all. We started pleading with him to take the whole money and spare our lives.

    “He later asked us to take some bundles. I picked some bundles and when I counted my share, it was N45million. We were eight that went for the robbery and coincidentally, seven of us got the same amount, but I can’t say how much our informants got. Arab got over a billion naira.”

    Thanking God that he was not killed when he was paraded yesterday, he said: “I invested part of my share in business. I bought lands and trucks for transport business. Parts of my share were taken from me by some street urchins who got wind of the robbery and threatened to report me to the police. So, I gave them some money. Unfortunately, my transport business did not do well and I became broke. I did not want to go back to robbery because all other members had been arrested by SARS, but because of hunger, I was forced to make one more attempt this year. So bad, I was unlucky to land in the hands of SARS operatives.”

    Expressing regret that he did not heed the advice of his friends to run abroad, Samuel added: “I feel sad that God saved me and gave me the opportunity to escape but I messed it up. God really loved me because all our members were rounded up and I was the only one left, yet I did not use the opportunity to escape”

    Commissioner of Police Umar Manko, who paraded him alongside four other suspects, disclosed that one GPMG, one AK47 rifle, two double-barrel locally made pistols, I0 GPMG fully loaded magazines, eight loaded AK47 magazines, 32 live cartridges and Volkswagen Sharon bus were recovered from the suspects.

  • NDLEA finds 9.2kg drug in palm oil

    NDLEA finds 9.2kg drug in palm oil

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has aborted a plot to export 9.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed inside palm oil to South Africa.

    The discovery was made during the screening of cargoes on a South African Airline flight at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

    A taxi driver, who brought the consignment, was arrested by the anti-narcotic officials.

    NDLEA commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr Hamza Umar, said: “A taxi driver, Okwuokei Peter, has been arrested for attempting to export 9.2kilogrammes of methamphetamine to South Africa. The drug was packed in 41 parcels and hidden inside a gallon containing palm oil,” Umar stated.

    The suspect, in his statement, said: “I thought I was doing one of my passengers a favour; little did I know that it would land me in a big trouble. He called me and asked me to collect a gallon of palm oil from somebody. When I got to an estate junction as directed by him, a young man walked up to me and asked if I was Peter; I said ‘yes.’ Then, he gave me the gallon of sealed palm oil. At the airport, it was found to contain drugs during search. In fact, I am speechless, confused and frustrated.”

    Peter, who hails from Delta State, lives in Lagos with his wife and four children.

    Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade urged the public to shun drug trafficking.

    “Ignorance is not an excuse under the Act. If you are not sure that consignment is drug-free, then do not take it for export; otherwise you are liable. People must be cautious,” Giade stated.

    He added: “Section 11, sub-section ‘B’ of the NDLEA Act states that anybody who, without lawful authority export, transports or otherwise traffic the drug popularly known as cocaine, LSD heroine or any other similar drugs, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to be sentenced to life imprisonment.