LAGOS OCTOBER 4TH (URHOBOTODAY)-A forty two years old man, who is married with two children, Odili James Onyekwere has confessed that he was involved in the illicit traffic of hard drugs because of economic frustration.
The suspect who was arrested at the Muritala Mohammed Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos during an outward screening of passengers on a Kenyan Airways flight to Ivato International Airport Antananarivo, Madagascar excreted twenty-five wraps of cocaine weighing 270 grammes.

“I am married with two children and I sell shoes in Lome, Togo. As a result of the economic downturn my capital kept depreciating until I lost everything. This is my first time of smuggling drugs. It was the frustration of not being able to provide for my wife and two children that made me to smuggle cocaine. They promised to pay me a thousand dollars,” Odili James who hailed from Rivers State disclosed during interrogation.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah while addressing newsmen urged youths to shun drug trafficking, related criminal acts and contribute to nation building, adding that the Agency would continue to disappoint those hoping to get rich quick from drug trafficking through the use of latest technology in drug control.
“We are constantly increasing our capacity to detect concealed drugs and trace criminal wealth of drug cartels. Available record clearly shows that Madagascar is not a regular drug route yet we were able to detect the drug. Appropriate measures have also been taken to diligently prosecute suspected traffickers” Abdallah stated.
The NDLEA Chairman urged members of the public to report suspected drug barons to the Agency. In his words, “getting involved in drug trafficking is merely making a bad situation worse. Today this suspect is more concerned about his criminal charge than the welfare of his family he claimed to be protecting. Members of the public should therefore avoid complicating their situation and report suspected drug cases to the NDLEA.”
NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba said this is the first seizure of cocaine destined for Madagascar at the airport this year.
“This is the first arrest and seizure in the year heading to Madagascar from this airport. The suspect, Odili James Onyekwere successfully excreted twenty-five (25) wraps of cocaine which he ingested while under close observation. He is cooperating with our team of investigators and the case will soon be charged to court, “The commander stated.