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In the struggle to make the country’s airports free from the illegal trade of drug trafficking, the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has caught fourteen drug barons across the airports in the last six months.
This is just as the anti-narcotic agency said it has written a formal letter to one of the foreign airlines regularly used by the drug couriers to be more alert to its responsibility right from its port of departure.
Five of the foreign airlines most regularly used to traffic drugs into and out of Nigeria are: Turkish. Emirates, Qatar, Kenya and Ethiopian airlines.
Reacting to why many of the drug traffickers arrested had been linked to some airlines particularly Ethiopian Airlines, the spokesperson for the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi attributed this to the airline’s wide spread across the continent.
The constant arrest of drug traffickers on the Ethiopian airlines has however been attributed to the negligence of the responsible authorities to look into the records of the past and compare with the present.
The constant arrest of the drug traffickers has started generating debates across the sector with some key players querying why government has failed to take appropriate action against the airline.
On why the drug peddlers preferred using Ethiopian airlines in particular for their trade, Babafemi stated: “Transnational Criminal Enterprises usually try to deflect attention from their movement, and therefore take circuitous routes to ship illicit drugs into the market. For example, drug mules flying from Brazil or Afghanistan in the Middle East knew they will come under the scrutiny of drug law enforcement agents. Therefore, they’d fly to a neutral country and then take a connecting flight to Nigeria. Ethiopia Airlines, being one of the flights with operations across the continent, naturally becomes a flight of choice.
“First, we need to understand the fact that checking luggage for illicit substances at the airport is primarily the responsibility of the relevant drug law enforcement bodies. However, the airlines have a responsibility to ensure that their aircraft is not used to transport illicit substances. Property, vehicle and vessel owners have same responsibility and the law is clear on the consequences for failing to do this. In fact, this has led to actions against some vessels used to bring cocaine to Nigeria in recent time. As a result, the Agency has written a formal letter drawing the attention of the airline in reference to their responsibility right from their port of departure.
Speaking on efforts being made by the NDLEA to ensure the drug peddlers don’t divert their criminal trades to the other modes of transport particularly through maritime now that the airports have become tougher for them to continue their illegal crimes, Babafemi declared: “We have increased our presence at the country’s air, land and maritime borders. We have a marine unit that actively patrols the country’s coastal areas. The NDLEA is also part of the coalition of national and international law enforcement bodies that patrol the international waters surrounding the country. Just as well, we also work with Customs at the ports and the Navy.And we have recorded impressive interdictions in the past few months.
He attributed the ongoing success of the war against drug trafficking under Brigadier General Buba Marwa to what he called the motivation of operatives as a “top priority culminating in mass promotion, payment of allowances and provision of other incentives like life and injury premium insurance that inspire the NDLEA staff to go the extra mile.”
A one time military commandant at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retired), while commenting on the constant use of Ethiopian airlines to traffic drugs declared: “My concern is why is our government not taking appropriate sanctions on the airlines? In the 80s and 90s, in UK and US, the Nigeria Airways was sanctioned at various times that any passenger was caught at disembarkation for carrying drug.
“On a particular occasion, a member of the crew on a Nigerian Airways flight was arrested in New York and the airline was sanctioned. It got so bad that at a time, the US Federal Aviation Administration directed that the Nigeria Airways flight to New York must stop at Dakar for enhanced security screening before proceeding to New York.
There could be an organized airport syndicate but the syndicate can not operate effectively without the cooperation of the airline operator. Both can not work effectively with their security programmes if they are approved by the NCAA. They cannot be working outside the approved security programmes if the NCAA is enforcing the programmes or effectively carrying out security oversight on the airports defence layers and on the Operators.
“There are more inbound drug traffickers on the airlines than outbound. Statistics at a time before Abdumutalab failed bomb attempt showed that over 70% of drugs from the West African Region and transiting Europe were coming from Nigeria. In the 90s, the inbound traffickers came on Varig and Ethiopian airlines. On one Ethiopian airline in one day, I have picked up 23 drug traffickers for the NDLEA during the time of CP Oyakhilome as the Chairman.
Ojikutu recalled the case in Kano about three years ago where an airport staff stuffed a passenger’s luggage with drug without her knowledge.
“Who could have done that without the airlines staff or without the knowledge of the airport staff. Six airport staff were listed but the employer of none of those arrested was mentioned. The report of the investigation was not made to the public to show the implications of the airline nor the airport.”
A source in one of the foreign airlines however said they should not be blamed for drug trafficking since they are not Nigerians.
“Those in charge of screening, the customs, immigration, police and so on are Nigerians. The airlines after selling their seats only ensure safety is not in any way compromised hence, should not be held responsible for screening for drugs.The airlines have nothing to say about this issue.”
Power to fine erring airlines not under NCAA’s jurisdiction: A top source in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) who spoke under anonymity to the Nigerian Tribune said the power to punish airlines that carry drug traffickers rest solely with the narcotic agency, the NDLEA and not the NCAA, hence, the NDLEA has the power to either slam heavy fines on the erring airline and even impound such aircraft used to transport drugs.
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