NDLEA TO SCREEN GOVERNOR'S AIDES

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reiterated its
determination to commence the screening of all top government
functionaries, particularly aides to state governors while travelling
out of the country.

Speaking at an interactive session with journalists at the agency's
Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc, Ikeja, Lagos office
yesterday, NDLEA Director-General/ Secretary, Otunba Lanre Ipinmisho,
said the action was meant to prevent the usage of the presidential
wing and lounge of the nation's airports for drug trafficking.

He said the agency had discovered that suspected drug barons
disguised as aides to either state governors or top government
officials to traffic in drugs such as cocaine, cannabis and heroine.

Following the discovery, he said the agency would soon install
scanners within and around the presidential wing and lounge of all
international airports in the country, particularly the Murtala
Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport (NAIA), Abuja. He said the decision to install
the scanners was not meant to witch hunt anybody, but to discourage
drug barons from using those areas to traffic drug.

Ipinmisho said some of the scanners, which were donated to the agency
by the United States government had already been installed at the
MMIA, while the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was
planning to install more to complement those that has been
commissioned for use at both the local and the international airports.

He said all the scanners that had so far been installed at the
airports and sea ports could detect both iron and illicit drugs.

According to him, "Drug barons are always in the habit of associating
themselves with governors, bank managing directors, lawmakers and top
government officials to beef up their reputation. They use the image
of these people to scale whatever difficult challenges which they
might face and often, some security officials tend to believe that
they are also government functionaries.

"We are aware of these facts and do not want drug barons to begin to
use these places before we act. This is why we will soon install
scanners to check the luggage of those who claim to be aides of
governors and top government officials without intending to embarrass
them either. The war against drug trafficking is total and we are not
ready to compromise the image of our nation." The NDLEA, he also
said, would beam its searchlight on the activities of courier
companies operating within the country.

According to him, notable courier firms within the country are being
used by barons to traffic drugs in and out of the country.

Ipinmisho said four officials of such courier companies and one NDLEA
personnel had so far been arrested for their alleged involvement in
the drug trafficking in the country.

He stated that some members of staff of a courier company had been
known to connive with drug traffickers in the illicit business.

"We have also beamed our searchlight on the couriers because of
intelligence reports we received concerning the use of some of the
courier houses in illicit drug trafficking. Consequently, after a
detailed surveillance by officers of the agency, some positive
results have also been recorded," he stated.

Ipinmisho said on July 22, a 62-year-old man identified as Olufemi
Fagbamigbe was arrested for allegedly conspiring with one Paul
Ezeoma, 40, to conceal 3kg of cannabis inside a parcel containing
black soap meant for shipment to France.

The practice among courier companies, he said, was to check all
parcels before they are sealed, adding that it appeared that somebody
had either abdicated his or her responsibility or actually connived
with drug traffickers to help export illicit drugs.

He stated that the agency would thenceforth report to their foreign
partners any courier company found to be involved in the illicit drug trade.

"The agency will not leave any stone unturned in our quest to track
down drug barons, be it at the airports, sea ports, land borders,
courier companies and wherever they may use for their illicit drug
activities," he added.

Giving an expose of some of the achievements of the agency in the
past few days, he stated that two women, Olabode Evbuonwam Beatrice,
27, and Kate Benson, 32, were arrested two days ago at the MMIA for
testing positive to drug ingestion on their way to Spain during the
screening of passengers on an Alitalia flight. Beatrice, a single
mother, was arrested with her one-year and ten-month-old baby by
NDLEA officials.

Both of them did not only ingest the drug, but also inserted some
wraps in their private parts, he said. The NDLEA boss said between
January and June, this year, the Lagos airport command of the agency
had arrested 106 suspected drug traffickers.

Out of the number, 95 are males, while 11 are females, adding that a
total of 205.784 kg of various narcotics were seized.