Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Chadian lady, Vivien Tarmadji, with 234.35 grammes of heroin concealed in her private part.
The agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, disclosed that the suspect was apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja while trying to board an Ethiopian airline flight 911 en route Addis Ababa-Italy from Kano International Airport.
The suspect, it was gathered, has been running a saloon business in Italy since 2016.
However, upon her relocation to the country via Libya, she was nabbed by vigilant narcotics agents during an outward clearance of the airline at the boarding gate after being scanned.
While being interrogated, she claimed she was contacted by a man who called her from Italy to collect the drug from one man who delivered the substance to her in a hotel in Lagos early in the morning before she took her flight to Abuja same day for onward journey to Italy.
She further claimed that the man brought 50 wraps of heroin for her to swallow, but she decided to insert 18 wraps into her private part and returned the remaining to the man.
Tarmadji said she came into Nigeria to raise money to pay for her house and shop rents, which had expired in Italy, as life has been so difficult since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
She explained that the owner of the drug was to pay her 10,000 Euros on successful delivery of the substance to Italy.
Meanwhile, another suspected trafficker, Okojie James, from Oredo Council of Edo State, was also arrested while boarding Turkish airline flight en route Abuja-Istanbul-Cyprus.
Illicit drugs, including 1.549kg of Cannabis Sativa; 223.80 grammes of Tramadol; 192.34grammes of Rohypnol and 214.05 grammes of Flunitrazepam, all of which were concealed in tins of Bournvita and milk, packed in a bag of foodstuffs, were recovered from him.
During interrogation, he claimed that his friend, one Elvis, who resides in Cyprus, asked him to collect the luggage for him.
According to him, Elvis’ sister sent the luggage to him in Abuja from Benin City through a transport company.
He said he was into Shawarma and noodles business in Benin City before Elvis invited him to Cyprus, claiming that he had secured an admission to further his education.
The Commander in charge of the NAIA Command of the NDLEA, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, said while Okojie was arrested last Saturday, March 20, Tarmadji was nabbed on Tuesday, March 23. He added that both suspects would soon face prosecution.
