Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Tuesday night stormed the headquarters of Arik Air in Ikeja Lagos following the arrest in London of a crew member of the airline for allegedly being in possession of cocaine.
The Arik crew member, identified by the anti-narcotics agency as Chika Egwu Udensi, was arrested on Monday night by operatives of the United Kingdom Border Force with 20 kilogrammes of cocaine in London.
The NDLEA agents were said to have searched Udensi’s latest Range Rover parked on the airline’s premises. Arik spokesman, Adebanji Ola, confirmed the visit by the NDLEA’s operatives.
Udensi was arrested at the London Heathrow Airport shortly after an Arik Air flight W3101 that departed from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, touched down in the UK.
2 years ago two crew members of the Arik Air were similarly nabbed by the UK Border Force in London for the same offence.
Officials of the NDLEA on Tuesday put the street value of the drug found with the suspect at £350,000 (N105m).
Arik Air on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of its cabin crew member by the UK Border Force.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mr. Ahmadu Giade, on Tuesday ordered investigation into the operations of Arik Air following the development.
The Nigerian anti-narcotics agency in a statement said that it had notified the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom of the arrest.
Giade said
“The agency will carry out full scale investigation into this case to ascertain those behind the criminal act. We shall work closely with our international collaborators on the matter. Arik Airline will be sanctioned if found wanting.
“The agency shall invoke section 25 of the NDLEA Act against the airline, which states that it shall be the duty of every commercial carrier to take reasonable precaution to ensure that its means of transport are not used in the commission of offences under this Act.
“Every commercial carrier is expected to comply with appropriate security measures at points of entry and exit in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other customs control areas, to prevent unauthorised cargo in its means of transportation.
“The law refers to the precautionary measures to include training of personnel, promotion of integrity of their personnel, submission of cargo manifests in advance, use of tamper-resistant, individually verifiable seals on containers and reporting to the agency at the earliest opportunity all suspicious circumstances relating to drug trafficking.
“Nigeria has a cordial working relationship with the United Kingdom in drug control. This has resulted to a drastic reduction in the number of arrests made in the United Kingdom from flights originating from Nigeria over the years.”
