The man who stalled the Super Eagles of Nigeria’s trip to Peru on Saturday was arrested in a dramatic manner by intelligence officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, sources told P.M.NEWS early Monday.
Anti-narcotic sources disclosed that the 45-year old suspect from the Eastern part of Nigeria(name withheld) arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, hours before departure time with two hand bags for a Madrid-bound flight.
In the same Iberia Air plane were Super Eagles of Nigeria players who were travelling to the South American country of Peru via Spain for a friendly in Lima, the capital.
Not long after the man arrived the airport, sources said, he checked in with only one bag, leaving the other bag which contained two kilogrammes of cocaine at the check-in point.
Once on the plane and just minutes before boarding was about to close, the man informed the cabin crew that he had forgotten his belt at the check-in desk and wanted to go pick it up.
“Unknown to him, we had already discovered that there was drug in the bag, concealed inside three pairs of shoes,” a source told us early today.
“When we asked him if the bag belonged to him, he denied it. It wasn’t until we found his document inside the bag that we confirmed it was actually his bag.
“But the belt he claimed he had come down to collect was in the bag he took inside the plane. He came back to collect his drug. He was thinking that there would be less security at that time since boarding was almost over and the plane was about taking off. But he was caught,” the source who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
The source said that the flight was delayed because the pilot claimed he was tired and could no longer fly the plane after hours of delay.
But NDLEA Head of Public Affairs who did not want to disclose the identity of the suspect said that the plane was delayed to prevent a national embarrassment.
“The man was not a player and wasn’t in the delegation that was heading to Peru. He was just a passenger among other passengers. But we decided to delay the plane to prevent a national embarrassment,” Ofojeyu said on telephone early today.
“Investigation is still ongoing and I don’t want to jeopardise it by disclosing too much information about the suspect,” he added.
In an interview with AFP, the spokesman of the Nigerian soccer team, Ben Alaiya, said the Iberia flight was cancelled after NDLEA arrested a passenger on the plane, while another suspected passenger escaped.
“The airline announced that they could no longer fly according to international regulations and as such the national team could not leave for Peru on Saturday night,” Alaiya said.
The Super Eagles finally departed Lagos for Madrid enroute Peru on Sunday.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers have also apprehended two female passengers in connection with drug trafficking. The arrests were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The suspects are 24-year old Onuoha Faith who claimed she is a hair stylist.
She was allegedly caught with one kilogramme of methamphetamine hidden in her bra and inner wear. The other suspect is 25-year old London-based fashion designer, Animasaun Sulikiatu Bisola Sunbo.
She was found in possession of three kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside packs of chocolates, NDLEA said, adding that they will soon be charged to court.
—Simon Ateba
viaPM News: http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/05/21/how-cocaine-trafficker-stalled-eagles-trip-to-peru/
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