The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of a 32-year-old Kenyan woman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
The Head of Public Affairs of the NDLEA, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, said in a statement that the woman, Imeloah Awino Noah, arrested last weekend was in possession of 2.56kg of a substance that tested positive for heroin.
“The suspect who left Bujumbura, Burundi under the pretext of pilgrimage to Nigeria was arrested, following the discovery of heroin hidden inside two pairs of female sandals and under her luggage.
“The seizure took place during inward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa,” he said.
It said preliminary investigation revealed that Noah planned to smuggle the drug into Nigeria.
“This is her third visit to Nigeria in two years.
“It was also gathered that she left Nairobi, Kenya to Bujumbura where she collected the luggage containing the drugs before proceeding to Nigeria through Addis Ababa,” the statement said.
In the statement, the NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, urged members of the public to be vigilant as drug trafficking syndicates have devised new method of ferrying hard drugs.
“Drug barons sometimes present themselves as philanthropists.
“They will offer you free tickets and make all travel arrangements but the ultimate objective is to get you to smuggle their drugs from one point to another.
“Members of the public should be on the alert and report suspected drug barons to the agency,” Giade was quoted as saying.
The statement said that the suspect would soon be charged to court. NAN
