24th July, 2012
Emirates and Qatar have emerged the preferred airlines used by drug traffickers in Nigeria, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has said.
In its 2011 report released recently, NDLEA said that out of 191 drug traffickers arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Nigeria’s busiest airport, 32 of the smugglers or 28.32 percent had purchased Emirates airline tickets while 25 of the suspects or 22.12 percent had Qatar airline tickets.
Emirates airline operates from Dubai and is the largest airline in the Middle East, with over 2,500 flights per week while Qatar airline is based in Doha, the Qatari capital, another Arab country.
Drug trafficking can attract death sentence in both countries, an indication that both countries may just be transit routes for traffickers heading to Europe or America.
The report further shows that Iberia airline followed Emirates and Qatar with 8 suspects or 7.08 percent arrested for drugs. Iberia airline is the flag carrier of Spain where the majority of Nigerians were deported from last year for drug related offences.
Delta and United airline as well as Egypt Air only had a drug suspect arrested last year from Nigeria’s busiest airport, the report shows.
The report also shows that 28 suspected drug traffickers (21.21 percent) travelled into Nigeria while 25 of them or 18.93 percent were heading to the United States. About 17.42 percent or 23 suspects were heading to Malaysia while 14 or 10.60 percent of them were travelling to the United Kingdom.
NDLEA also received 147 Nigerians who were deported for drug related offences in various countries with 40 of Nigerians deported from Spain, 23 from the USA, 17 from Switzerland, 16 from Thailand, 15 from Norway and 15 from France. Others were deported from Italy, UK, Germany, United Arab Emirates among others.
In 2011, NDLEA said it arrested 8,072 male suspected drug traffickers and 567 female suspects. It also seized 410.81 kilogrammes of cocaine and 39.752 kilogrammes of heroin. Cannabis was highest with 191,847.91 kilogrammes seized last year.
NDLEA said that other drugs seized amounted to 2,985.447.
The report shows that Kano and Lagos States topped the list of suspected drug traffickers nabbed last year. While 1,281 suspects or 14.83 percent were arrested last year in Kano, 382 or 4.42 percent were apprehended in Lagos. Fewer suspects were apprehended in other states where NDLEA presence is minimal. In the Federal Capital Territory, 258 suspects or 2.99 percent were arrested, according to the report.
The report also said that NDLEA prosecuted 1,501 suspects in 2011, won 1,491 cases and lost 10 of the cases.
NDLEA also disclosed that it now has staff strength of 5,337 with 2096 of them awaiting training a year after they were employed.
Although the report did not mention Babatunde Omidina, the war against drug trafficking suffered a setback last year, when the popular comedian also known as Baba Suwe was picked up by NDLEA at the Lagos airport allegedly because he had swallowed cocaine.
But 23 days in NDLEA custody failed to bring out the drug. He later went to court and was awarded N25 million damages.
The Baba Suwe saga greatly overshadowed NDLEA’s work during the period the saga lasted and redefined the way and manner suspected drug traffickers are treated while in NDLEA custody.
—Simon Ateba