BY DANIEL ETEGHE

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday, arrested a 39-year-old electronics merchant with eight kilogrammes of Diazepam injections at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.

The suspect, Mr. Udoji Chike, was caught while attempting to smuggle the drug to Liberia aboard an Arik Air flight.

Speaking on the arrest, NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, said that the suspect disguised the diazepam as packs of Alabukum powder which is not a controlled drug.

Mr. Umar told newsmen that “officers discovered 8kg of Diazepam injections in a luggage brought by one Udoji Chike.”

The luggage was meant for export to Liberia. He has accepted ownership of the drug and he will be charged to court soon after investigation”

Meanwhile, Chairman of NDLEA, Ailhaji Ahmadu Giade, urged the public to desist from drug trafficking, stressing that the consequences were condemnable as they affect both the individual and the society.

‘Why I did it’
The suspect said he got involved in drug trafficking in order to give his wife some money for her upkeep.

He said: “I am a graduate of Business Administration from the University of Monrovia. I sell electrical equipment and electronics in Liberia where I have lived with my family since 1997. I came to spend last Christmas with my family in Ihiala, Anambra State.

“Unfortunately, my father died on January 8. Since then I could not go back to Liberia and I am worried how my wife and child are coping financially. So I agreed to carry the drug.”