There has been reports that airlines may have allowed drug syndicates to infiltrate their ranks or work with handling companies and this suspicious has gained traction since the killing of Nigerian drug suspect in Saudi Arabia.
In a meeting recently, the Federal Government, through the Presidential Advisory Committee on Elimination of Drug Abuse PACEDA has threaten to sanction airlines found culpable of exchanging innocent passengers luggage with another loaded with illicit drug in partnership with dealers during Cargo Handling process at the Nation’s Airports.
The Chairman, PACEDA, Retired Brigadier- General Buba Marwa, disclosed this at an interactive session meeting with officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, Murtala Muhammed International Airport/ Lagos State Command, held in Lagos recently.
He stated that recent investigation had shown that innocent passengers are victims of drug related offences at the Airport through Cargo Handling errors by different airlines, who miss-tag users Luggage’s to others, especially to people who do not have ideas of the contents.
Marwa, who expressed sadness over the issues, regretted the acrimony among security operatives that has resulted on unnecessary rivalry allowing unchecked entry and exist of Drugs through the nation’s terminals.
On the recent wave of consumption of illicit drug in the country, the Retired General emphasized the political will of the President in solving the problem, adding that is a huge challenge but surmountable through the renewed drive of government in providing needed equipment to combat the menace and bring it to a hurt.
According to him: “As a young officer back then I remember that this Airport was pride of Africa but things has changed significantly as Preliminary reports has shown that innocent passengers have Luggage that do not belong them tag to them by Airlines, only to be arrested at their destination point.
“The PACEDA is inaugurated to bring recommendations that are implementable and sustainable to government to implement towards addressing these challenges and the crisis we are facing today in Nigeria through Drug Abuse.
“This airport is now entry and exist point of drug in Nigeria and there is no need for the rivalry among security operatives among all stakeholders,” he said.
On what will be the outcome if errant airline are found, he said: “The government will deal with any operative found culpable in this act,” he warns, with the recent arrest and execution Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, “as most airlines colludes with drug baron to perpetrate this evil as innocent Nigerians,” he stated.
Meanwhile in his remarks speech, the NDLEA,MMIA Lagos State Command, Mr. Ahmadu Garba, noted the effort of the command in fighting the issues with the MMIA been the busiest in West Africa with 35 daily Internationally flight and about ten million passengers using the airport and over 100 tonnage of cargo pass annually.
He therefore urges the committee to speedily help in procuring Information, Communication and Technology gadgets that will facilitate effective profiling of cargo and staff.
On the statistic of the work done so far he said, “In 2018 we made about 93 arrests for drug trafficking at the airport and 5,377.125kg of illicit drugs, with 25 convictions. From January 2019, 26 people have been arrested for drug trafficking and a total of 94.120kg of illicit drugs were seized and a total of five convictions have been recorded so far.”
