Posted by By Simon Ateba on
A 26-year-old drug suspect, Mr. Okafor Williams Uchenna, who was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has disclosed that he was pushed into drug trafficking to bring home the corpse of his elder brother, who died in Italy recently.
A 26-year-old drug suspect, Mr. Okafor Williams Uchenna, who was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has disclosed that he was pushed into drug trafficking to bring home the corpse of his elder brother, who died in Italy recently.
Okafor was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, on 17 September, with 75 wraps of cocaine stuck in his stomach while on his way to Amsterdam, Holland.
Upon his arrest, the suspect who hails from Enugu state, wept bitterly and explained that it is the death of his brother that compelled him to carry the drug.
Surprisingly, the suspect did not inform his family about the death of his brother but claimed that he took upon himself to settle all the bills in Italy, before informing his parents.
'This is my first time of carrying drugs. My elder brother, Okafor Lawrence, died in an auto crash in Italy, and the responsibility of settling all the bills made me to borrow over 8,000 Euros.
'The police report states that my late brother was at fault and I also needed to settle some expenses based on that. As we speak, the corpse is still in Italy. I desperately needed money to arrange for his funeral here in Nigeria.
'I could not tell my parents that Lawrence is dead because dad is seriously sick and I do not want to complicate his condition.
'Now my problem is bigger than I thought, because I don't know when I will be out of this,' he stated amidst tears. Okafor told NDLEA that he is a factory worker in Italy where he has been living since 2003.' NDLEA did not say whether it buys into the story or not.
Another drug suspect arrested, last week, by NDLEA while on his way to Berlin, Germany, Akuegbu Azubike Samsaz, also narrated his ordeal, saying that his seized container led him into drug trafficking. He said he lost everything and was ashamed of going back to the village broke.
.'I used to sell refrigerator until my container of goods was seized in 2006. I was trying to recover from the loss when my shop, at Imuke Obusi in Onitsha, got burnt in August 2008. I know what I did is wrong, but I had no choice because I was afraid of going back to the village,' Azubike stated. Akuegbu hails from Orlu Local Government Area in Imo state.
NDLEA, Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Ofoyeju Mitchell, said, this morning, that the two suspects will soon be charged to court to face the full wrath of the law.