The
suspects are Michael Okwuma, 31, found with 3.400kg of cocaine hidden in wooden
frames and James Nwajagu, caught with 3.240kg of cocaine in Irish whiskey packs
wich was intercepted at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in
Ikeja, Lagos.
National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives caught the two men that was planning
to import N59 million worth of hard drugs hidden in Irish whiskey packs and
wooden frames.
NDLEA
Airport Commander Ahmadu Garba, in a statement narrated how the suspects were
nabbed.
“Okwuma
took off from Guarulhos International Airport, São Paulo, Brazil in a South
African Airways flight through Johannesburg to Lagos. Nwajagu also left Brazil
in an Emirates flight through United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Lagos. Both
suspects will soon be charged to court,” Garba said.
Okwuma
told investigators that he was given the drugs by a Nigerian who is like a father
to him in Brazil.
He
said: “I live in São Paulo with my wife and child. I work in a supermarket but
my salary is not sufficient to take care of my family. The man that gave me the
drug is like a father to me. He used to assist me financially whenever I needed
help. I told him I was home sick because for two years I have not visited
Nigeria. He was the one that bought my ticket and gave me $3,000. I was very
happy for the gesture. He also gave me a bag containing children clothes and
wooden frames to take to Nigeria. When I got to Lagos, NDLEA officers opened
the bag and found cocaine.”
Nwajagu
said he was told to bring a bag to Nigeria and be settled financially.
“I
was in my village in Anambra doing menial jobs to sustain myself. I came to
Lagos on a short visit when I met an old friend. He was very nice to me because
he used to give me money, buy me drinks and food. He told me to bring a bag
from Brazil and that he will settle me financially to start my own business.
That was how I travelled out of Nigeria. On arrival, the bag was searched and
cocaine was found inside packs of Irish whiskey. I never knew I will end up
this way,” he said.