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 Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu in January 2022. The officers appeared as witnesses in the ongoing trial of Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari.
The case concerns two convicted drug traffickers, Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne and Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, who were arrested by operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) on January 19, 2022, after allegedly passing through the airport with cocaine. The suspects were subsequently handed over to the NDLEA, alongside the recovered drugs, for further investigation and prosecution.
According to testimony presented in court, the two men had travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 15, 2022, to obtain cocaine. Ezenwanne reportedly admitted that they had been cleared by NDLEA personnel before police operatives arrested them at the airport’s car park.
During his testimony, Ezenwanne told the court that the IRT operatives identified themselves before arresting him and Umeibe. He also stated that his associate offered to surrender the cocaine in exchange for their release, but the officers rejected the offer.
The prosecution’s case has raised questions about the conduct of NDLEA personnel who were on duty at the airport when the incident occurred.
One of the witnesses, Kalu Mary Nneoma, testified that she was initially assigned to the arrivals hall but was redeployed to another duty post before the Ethiopian Airlines flight arrived. She attributed the staffing challenges to limited manpower following a sit-at-home order in parts of the South-East.
However, when asked to provide an official notice confirming the order or documentation authorising her redeployment, Nneoma said she had neither.
She also told the court that the agency did not have body scanners or luggage scanners at the airport and that searches were conducted manually. According to her, not every arriving passenger underwent a thorough search because officers relied on risk assessments.
Nneoma further admitted that there had been no administrative trial, official query or disciplinary sanction relating to the incident, according to her testimony.
Another NDLEA officer, Ageh David, told the court that he had been scheduled to work on January 19, 2022, but did not report for duty after informing his superior that he was ill. He acknowledged that he had no medical report to support his absence.
David said he learnt about the arrest of the suspects from other people and later saw them at the NDLEA headquarters after their transfer from the Police IRT. He also confirmed that some NDLEA personnel were transferred out of Enugu following the incident, although he said he did not know the reasons for the transfers.
The court also heard testimony concerning the suspects’ alleged payments to facilitate their passage through the airport. Ezenwanne reportedly stated that he paid ₦10,000 to airport agents, while his alleged superior, Patrick Chukwujekwu, had made other arrangements before their arrival from Ethiopia.
The two drug traffickers reportedly pleaded guilty and were convicted, receiving two-year prison sentences following a plea bargain. The report stated that they were released on May 19, 2023, after spending approximately 16 months in prison.
Meanwhile, the Police IRT operatives who arrested the suspects and recovered the cocaine have reportedly remained in detention for nearly five years over allegations of tampering with the recovered drugs.
The ongoing proceedings are expected to shed further light on how the cocaine passed through the airport, the actions of the officers responsible for screening passengers and the circumstances surrounding the arrest and subsequent prosecution of the suspects.
The NDLEA witnesses’ testimonies form part of the evidence being examined in the case involving Abba Kyari. The allegations concerning the conduct of individual officers remain matters for the court to assess based on the evidence presented.
