Pubdate: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 Source: This Day (Nigeria) Copyright: 2008 This Day. Contact: http://www.thisdayonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2870 Author: Eugene Agha 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.