2 Supected Drug Traffickers, Others Arrested At Abuja Airport

The Aviation Joint Security Force arrested two drug traffickers and three suspected ticket fraudsters at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday.

Mr Vincent Onye, Head, Crime Department of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Onye?said that the two suspected drug traffickers were to board an Egypt Air to Malaysia, but were arrested at the screening point with a dangerous drug known as methamphetamine.

He said?that the two suspects,?ladies, hid the drug in their brassieres, hips and wigs.

He said also said that the suspected fraudsters were arrested with different air tickets, boarding pass, and fake international passports.

Onye further said that they also found?ATM cards and unauthorised identity cards belonging to staff members of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

He said as FAAN had no power to prosecute the suspects, they were handed over to the relevant authorities for investigation and prosecution.

“The suspected drug trafficker have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution while the suspected fraudsters were?handed over to the police.

“The aviation security outfit will not relent in its efforts to secure the airport because, on a daily basis, criminals look for new avenues to commit crime; we always look for better and faster methods to apprehend them.

“It is advisable for people to beware of the touts at airports because such criminals are everywhere in the world and not only in Nigeria,’’ Onye said.

It will be recalled that Mr Lawal Hamisu, the NDLEA?commander at the airport, said in June?that the number of drug traffickers passing through the airport had reduced drastically.

This he explained was after the installation of a new screening machine in January.

He said that only 10 suspected drug peddlers were arrested between January and June, as against the eight to 10 suspects that used to be arrested monthly. (NAN)