By Ime Akpan
Lagos
A 32-year-old man, Ndulue Emmanuel Obiefuna, who was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for alleged drug trafficking has died of cocaine ingestion.
The commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the airport, Mr. Hamisu Lawan, said in a press statementthat the suspect, who until his death was a trader based in `Lagos, collapsed at the departure hall of the airport and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
He said Obiefuna was an intending passenger on an Ethiopian Airline flight to China en route Addis Ababa and that prior to his death, the suspect had confessed to cocaine ingestion at the hospital.
Lawana said: “The deceased collapsed at the departure hall and was being attended to by Port Health officials. The collapse triggered our suspicion and a narcotic officer was assigned to monitor the development. When the suspect’s condition stabilised at the hospital, he confessed to cocaine ingestion. At that point, the NDLEA took over the case from the Port Health Services. He later died while receiving treatment.”
He said interim investigation revealed that the deceased hailed from Anambra state.
“Until his demise, he was a trader living in Lagos. It was gathered that the deceased decided to abort his trip after collecting his boarding pass. This was due to complications arising from the cocaine he ingested. He collapsed immediately he notified the airline officials of his intention to cancel his trip. At the hospital, 55 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine with a total weight of 1.20 kilogrammes was evacuated from his stomach.”
In his reaction, the chairman and chief executive of NDLEA, Mr. Ahmadu Giade, described narcotic ingestion as a “suicide mission” and reiterated his call for a drug-free society.
He said: “Ingesting narcotics is a suicide mission. I sympathise with the family members. Drug trafficking is a serious crime. The current trend of drug ingestion by drug traffickers in disregard of the grave health implication must be condemned by all. We must collectively intensify counter-narcotics efforts by talking to at least one person daily on the dangers of drugs and benefits of a drug-free society.”