‘Customs officer’ arrested for drug trafficking

Chidubem

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a man who claimed to be a customs officer.

The suspect, Aguezeala Bob Chidubem, 45, was arrested while attempting to smuggle drugs into China.

When he was arrested, Chidubem claimed to be a serving customs officer at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.

Preliminary investigation carried out by NDLEA agents revealed that he was an impersonator.

He was arrested along with Obi Onyeka Emmanuel, Obidiazor Stanley, Ezeocha Henry Chidi and Alor Tochukwu Isaac.

NDLEA spokesman, Mitchell Ofoyeju said the Tin Can Command of the Nigerian Customs Service confirmed to the Agency that there was no officer with that name and service number.

Ofoyeju said: “Chidubem was found to be a fake custom officer. He claimed to be a 1993 graduate of Industrial Chemistry from University of Port Harcourt. He hails from Imo State and conspired with Odidiazor Stanley to finance the trip of Obi Onyeka Emmanuel to China with 1.175kg of heroin.”

The anti-drug Agency also prevented the exportation of 34.605kg of cannabis and 1.175kg of heroin to China.

The arrests and seizures took place at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos while other accomplices were apprehended during a follow-up operation. The drug recovered from Chidubem and the four others weighed 35.78kg.

NDLEA commander at the Lagos Airport, Hamza Umar explained how the command arrested the five suspects with 35.78kg of illegal drugs.

Umar side: “We arrested one Obi Onyeka Emmanuel with 1.175kg of heroin while attempting to board Qatar Airline flight to China. Upon interrogation, Aguezeala Bob Chidubem a fake custom officer and Obidiazor Stanley were apprehended for allegedly sponsoring Obi Onyeka. Ezeocha Henry Chidi and Alor Tochukwu Isaac were also caught with 11.430kg and 23.175kg of cannabis respectively on their way to China.”

Emmanuel, 39, a trader who sells Jeans at Mandilas, Lagos Island said he was promised 4,000 dollars to smuggle heroin to China.

Emmanuel said: “I was given 100 wraps of heroin by Stanley to swallow. I was able to swallow 68 wraps because it is my first time. They also promised to pay me 4,000 dollars but unfortunately the drug was detected by the scanning machine. I got involved in drug trafficking because I lost 10,000 dollars in my business. I was desperate to recover my lost money.”

Chidi, 33, who resides in Onitsha, was caught with 11.160kg of cannabis.

He was to board a Kenya Airways flight to China when the drug was detected. His arrest took place simultaneously with Alor Tochukwu Isaac who was to board Ethiopian Airways with 23.175kg of cannabis to China.

Alor explained: “Ezeocha Henry is my friend. We are both into cargo business because we send goods for people. One of my customers brought three bags to me to take to China. He told me that the bags contained foodstuff and gave me N22, 000.

“I blamed myself for not searching the bags although this is not my first time of collecting goods from him. What I did was based on trust but it ended this way. I took two bags and gave one to Ezeocha Henry with N12, 000.”  

NDLEA chairman, Ahmadu Giade said he was shocked over the arrest of the five men and the fact that they were taking the drugs to China, barely days that two Nigerians were executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking.