Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have testified in court over the circumstances surrounding the movement of 19.5 kilogrammes of cocaine through the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, in January 2022.
The officers were summoned to testify in the trial of Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, with the court examining how two convicted drug traffickers allegedly passed through the airport before being arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team.
The cocaine was recovered by the police operatives, who subsequently transferred the suspects and the exhibits to the NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution.
One of the witnesses, Kalu Mary Nneoma, told the court on Tuesday that she was initially assigned to the airport’s arrival hall on January 19, 2022, but was redeployed to another duty post before an Ethiopian Airlines flight arrived.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Albert Akahs, Nneoma attributed the staffing situation to limited manpower following a sit-at-home order in parts of the South-East.
She, however, admitted that she had no official document confirming the order or authorising her redeployment.
Nneoma also told the court that the airport lacked body and luggage scanners, explaining that searches were conducted manually and passengers were screened based on risk assessment.
“Not every passenger is being subjected to thorough search,” she said.
When asked whether she would be surprised if the bags containing the cocaine, tendered as Exhibits 7 and 8, had passed through the airport’s screening areas, the witness said she would not be surprised.
She further confirmed that no administrative trial had been conducted and no sanctions imposed in connection with the incident.
Another NDLEA officer, Ageh David, who testified on Wednesday, said he was rostered for duty on the day of the incident but did not report after informing his officer-in-charge that he was ill.
David, who joined the agency in July 2021 and was posted to Enugu Airport in November of the same year, admitted that he had no medical report to support his absence.
He said he learnt about the arrest of the two suspects from other people and later saw them at the NDLEA headquarters after their transfer by the police.
David also told the court that some NDLEA officers were transferred out of Enugu after the incident, although he did not know the reasons for the transfers.
He identified Tukur Garba, a Chief Superintendent of Narcotics, as the officer-in-charge on duty that day.
Earlier, one of the convicted traffickers, Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, testified that he and Chibunna Patrick Umeibe had travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 15, 2022, to obtain cocaine.
Ezenwanne said he was waiting for Umeibe at the airport car park when armed police operatives approached them and identified themselves as members of the IRT.
He told the court that Umeibe pleaded with the operatives to take the cocaine and release them, but they refused.
The suspects were subsequently handed over to the NDLEA alongside the cocaine exhibits.
Ezenwanne also admitted during cross-examination that he knew NDLEA officers were stationed at international airports to prevent drug trafficking before embarking on the trip.
The two men were eventually convicted after pleading guilty and were sentenced to two years’ imprisonment following a plea bargain. They were released on May 19, 2023, after serving approximately 16 months in custody.
The case has also drawn attention to the circumstances surrounding the arrest and prosecution of the traffickers, as well as the handling of the cocaine exhibits recovered by the police.
The court proceedings are expected to further examine the events surrounding the alleged passage of the cocaine through the airport and the subsequent arrest of the suspects.
