The dreams of a 40-year-old patent medicine dealer, Chike Pauline, to wed his wife-to-be in a glamorous society wedding has been truncated by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, which arrested for drug trafficking offences.
The Aba, Abia State based suspect who was arrested during the outward screening of passengers on Rwanda Air flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, was trying to smuggle out one kilogramme of substance suspected to be methamphetamine.
During preliminary investigation, the NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, said Chike was discovered to be travelling to Bujumbura, Burundi, to deal the drugs.
In a sorrowful tone, Chike confessed that it was his desire to wed this December that led him into trying his hands in the crime.
I am a patent medicine dealer in Aba, Abia State. My arrest is very unfortunate because I am a hardworking person.
I was deceived into drug trafficking because I was desperate to perform my marriage ceremony by the end of the year.
I was optimistic that I will not be arrested, but things did not go according to my expectation.
What must I do to set myself free from this predicament?
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the anti-narcotic agency, Ahmadu Giade, warned would be drug traffickers that it is no longer going to be business as usual:
The arrest of Chike will serve as a warning to others that they will ultimately be caught with drugs and prosecuted.
It does not matter if the trafficker is going to other African countries or outside the continent; we are prepared to intercept all drugs.
I urge members of the public to support the agency’s drug control efforts.