One of the ways for a businessman in Nigeria to grow
and expand his enterprise is usually to travel overseas. Many of them usually
come back with good fortune, but a good number has sorry tales to tell.
Mr.
Udemezue Chukwuma Cosmos, 36, is now among the teeming thousands, if not
millions of Nigerians, who left the shores of the country, to increase their
fortune, but came back empty handed.
Indeed,
he is likely going to spend the next few years in prison depending on the
court.
According
to him, he left Nigeria with 60,000 dollars, equivalent of N11 million in his
pocket, but now had nothing to show for it, except for the wraps of cocaine he
had been excreting since his arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Cosmos,
who was said to have had tears running down his cheeks, cursed his best friend,
alleging that the man was the genesis of his troubles. He alleged that his
friend duped him of the N11 million at Brazil.
His
words: “I’m a businessman. I sell tiles. My friend in Brazil invited me to
Brazil to buy tiles at a cheaper price. I left Nigeria with my hard earned
60,000 dollars. My friend took me to a company where I deposited money for
tiles. My friend went behind me and requested for a refund of the money that we
have changed our minds on the purchase. That was how he duped me of my life
savings and capital. I reported the incident to the police but by then the man
had fled Brazil. That was how my problem started.”
The
suspect was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos
for importing 665grammes of cocaine into the country. The arrest occurred
during routine screening of passengers on an Etihad flight.
Cosmos
further said that he became stranded in Brazil and resorted to drug trafficking
as a last resort.
“It was circumstances that forced me into drug
trafficking. I feel bad because I left Nigeria with my 60,000 dollars but
circumstance forced me to smuggle cocaine for 5,000 dollars. I have prayed to
God for forgiveness,” said Chukwuma.
According
to the NDLEA airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, Cosmos, from investigation
gathered ingested the drugs in Brazil and was to deliver same in Bangladesh but
was denied entry and deported to Nigeria. He later excreted 31 wraps of cocaine
weighing 665 grammes.
Chairman
of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade has promised to investigate the case and take
appropriate action.
Giade
said: “There is no justification for drug trafficking. The case is already
under investigation and appropriate action shall be taken.”
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