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. Spokesman for the agency,
Mitchel Ofoyeju, 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.
Udensi’s arrest came barely two years after two
crew members of the Arik Air were similarly
nabbed by the UK Border Force in London.
Officials of the NDLEA on Tuesday put the street
value of the drug found with the suspect at
£350,000 (N105m).
The Arik Air on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of
its cabin crew member by the UK Border Force.
The airline, in a statement which read like the one
issued after the 2013 incident, said it had
commenced investigation into how the banned
substance got into the suspect’s possession.
The statement by Arik’s spokesman, Mr. Adebanji
Ola, read, “A member of Arik Air cabin crew was
on Monday night arrested at the Heathrow
Airport, London, by the UK Border Force in
connection with alleged possession of item
suspected to be a banned substance.
“The airline is presently carrying out its private
investigation to determine how the cabin crew
member came about the suspected banned
substance.
“Arik Air will also be cooperating fully with the UK
authorities and other appropriate agencies in their
investigations.”
The statement added, “The airline again reaffirms
its commitment to the fight against drug and
illicit substances trafficking and will not tolerate
the use of any of its aircraft or crew for the
courier of banned items and substances.
“Arik Air carries out very stringent checks on all
members of staff and its travelling guests ahead
of all flights. The airline will continue to focus its
attention on measures to prevent the possibility
of any future similar incidents.
“Arik Air is a responsible Nigerian company,
always seeking to maintain and uphold the
integrity and proud reputation of the nation.”
Our correspondent learnt that the Managing
Director of the airline, Mr. Chris Ndulue; and the
Director of Flight Operation, Captain Ado Sanusi,
were onboard the flight.
A top official of the airline, who spoke to The
PUNCH in confidence, said that Ndulue and
Sanusi travelled on the flight for a “special
meeting” in the UK.
Details of the said meeting were not known as of
press time.
When asked whether Ndulue and Sanusi were
onboard the flight and their mission in the UK, the
airline’s spokesperson, Ola, simply answered, “I
don’t know; I don’t know.”
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 said in a
statement that it had notified the National Crime
Agency of the United Kingdom of the arrest.
The statement quoted Giade as saying, “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.”
In December 2011, another Arik Air cabin crew,
Ms. Chinwendu Uwakaonyenma Ogbonnaya, was
similarly arrested in London for drug trafficking.
She was subsequently jailed for five years in
London.
Also in 2013, precisely on May 21, two female
crew members of the airline were arrested at the
same Heathrow Airport in London for suspected
drug trafficking.
The two had been arrested after a package of
drugs was discovered by Border Force officers on
a bus which had been used to transport air crew.
The street value of their haul as of the time had
been put at around £600,000.
http://www.punchng.com/news/ndlea-probes-arik-attendant-caught-with-n105m-cocaine/

Na all wey dey hear.. Drug and probe.. Issokay

Probe has suddenly become the most mentioned word in Nigeria since may 29, 2015.

Chika Egwu Udensi, many youth are roaming about looking for employment and you cheaply threw away the one you had at hand due to your greed. May God help you out.

Make una dey prob dey go,naija go better someday