By Ife Osemedua
365Daily– The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has said it is inaccurate to say that its officers at the Enugu airport received the 25kg of cocaine brought into Nigeria from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.
The NDLEA had on Monday, February 14, 2022, declared the suspended head of the IGP Response Team (IRT), DCP Abba Kyari, wanted for involvement in a 25kg cocaine deal.
It had detailed in a press statement, how Kyari contacted an official of the Agency to pitch a deal where he will keep 10kg and split the remaining 15kg between his informants and the NDLEA.
The Police subsequently arrested and handed over Kyari and his fellow accused team members to the NDLEA but fingered its officials as the ones who received prior identification of the drug cartel members who were bringing in the cocaine and cleared them at Enugu Airport.
But the Agency, in a issued statement on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, by its Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said it remains committed to evidence based investigation and its resolve cannot be weakened by any misrepresentation of facts.
It stated: “To correct some inaccuracies in the information in the public space that NDLEA officers at the Enugu airport were the ones who received from the cartel details about the mule coming from Addis Ababa, the Agency wishes to quote from the transcript of Abba Kyari’s recorded conversation with our undercover officer and a portion of ASP James Bawa’s statement to the police as documented in the police investigation report, a copy of which was made available to the Agency, to state that it’s an established fact that it’s the Abba Kyari’s team that was contacted by the cartel and without doubt the records clearly show how their ring works.
“Recall that after NDLEA requested for Kyari and others for interrogation, they were questioned by the police, after which they were handed over along with the report of their interrogation.
“According to the police investigation report, ASP James Bawa in his statement to the police reveals that “he was called by an informant identified as IK from Brazil who told him that a drug courier will be arriving on board Ethiopian Airlines in Enugu.
“He explained further that a pointer from IK, the Brazil based informant, met with him at about 1420hrs on 19th January 2022 outside the airport and showed him a picture of the courier. Subsequently, they sighted the suspect as he exited the airport terminal after all arrival clearance formalities, and he was arrested with another associate.
“In his own recorded conversation with our undercover officer, Abba Kyari also said the following: ‘They are greedy, seriously greedy (referring to his informants), we tried to have them accept 40% but they refused, except 50%, they know the rudiment of the deal very well, they are the ones that do the packing. From Brazil, one of the informants accompanied it to Ethiopia. You understand; one of the informants accompanied the goods to Ethiopia, one of the informants that give us information. He is the boy of the big baron.
“Addis, from Addis it will be given to those to proceed further with it, he will get their snapshots without their knowledge. Yes, he will reveal those that are conveying it further, get snapshots of theirs without their knowledge and send to us (Abba Kyari’s team). So we already know the goods, picture and the clothes they are wearing, hope you understand, we know your name, he will give us everything. So, automatically my team will just be waiting, they will just see you and arrest you.’
“Responding to our officer’s question on whether his boys are usually stationed inside or outside the airport, Abba Kyari said, ‘Yes, yes, some are outside while some are inside. They will just allow you to finish arrival formalities and arrest you the moment you come out.’”