NDLEA nabs man who recruited orphan for drug trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Sunday, said it has arrested a human trafficker, Matthew Bassey, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to a statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the suspect, Bassey, a native of Oron Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, recruited an orphan; Gift Eno, for drug trafficking purposes.

The statement further added that the arrest of the suspect becomes possible, after several interrogation of Eno by security agents at the Lagos International Airport, adding that 50 parcels of cannabis (2.80kg) concealed in food items

He said there were discrepancies between date of birth on her international passport and the age she declared, adding that the suspect, Mathew Bassey, was still lurking around the airport waiting for her departure, but was promptly tracked and arrested.

According to him, investigations showed that the victim who hails from the same Oron LGA of Akwa Ibom State like Bassey recently lost her mother and as a result made it easy for Bassey to recruit her with the promise of securing her a job in Dubai, UAE.

He said investigations further revealed that the recruiter leveraged on the victim’s naivety and planted drugs in her bag for onward delivery to his contact in Dubai.