NDLEA Officers Testify in Abba Kyari Trial Over 19.5kg Cocaine Recovered at Enugu Airport
Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have testified in court over the recovery of 19.5 kilogrammes of cocaine by operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on January 19, 2022.
The officers appeared as witnesses in the ongoing trial of Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the circumstances surrounding the arrest of two convicted drug traffickers and the passage of the cocaine through the airport are being examined.
Two NDLEA officers, Kalu Mary Nneoma and Ageh David, testified on Tuesday and Wednesday and were cross-examined by defence counsel, Barrister Albert Akahs.
Nneoma, who was on duty at the airport on the day of the incident, confirmed that Police IRT operatives arrested Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne and Chibunna Patrick Umeibe after they had passed through the airport and subsequently handed them over to the NDLEA alongside the recovered cocaine.
She told the court that she was initially assigned to the arrivals hall but was redeployed to another duty post before the Ethiopian Airlines flight arrived.
Nneoma attributed the staffing situation to limited manpower during a sit-at-home order in parts of the South-East. However, when asked to produce an official notice confirming the order or documentation authorising her redeployment, she said she had neither.
She also told the court that the airport lacked body and luggage scanners at the time, explaining that searches were conducted manually and that passengers were selected for checks based on risk assessment.
When asked whether she would be surprised to learn that bags containing cocaine, tendered in court as Exhibits 7 and 8, had passed through the airport’s screening areas, Nneoma said she would not be surprised.
She further testified that no administrative trial or disciplinary sanction had been imposed in connection with the incident, adding that no query had been issued to her over the matter.
During cross-examination, Nneoma also disclosed that she and other NDLEA officers had received promotions between 2022 and 2026, after the incident. The court heard no evidence from her establishing that the promotions were connected to the case.
Earlier, Ezenwanne, one of the convicted drug traffickers, testified about his arrest by Police IRT operatives at the airport car park.
He told the court that he had been waiting for Umeibe when armed men approached them and identified themselves as police officers by displaying jackets bearing the IRT inscription.
According to Ezenwanne, Umeibe pleaded with the operatives to take the cocaine and release them, but the officers rejected the offer.
He said the operatives subsequently contacted their superior and were directed to transfer the suspects to Abuja.
Ezenwanne also admitted that he knew NDLEA officers were stationed at international airports to prevent drug trafficking before travelling to Ethiopia. He told the court that he had paid ₦10,000 as “kola” to agents at the airport to facilitate their passage, while claiming that another individual, identified as Patrick Chukwujekwu, had made other arrangements for their clearance.
The court also heard that Ezenwanne and Umeibe had admitted travelling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 15, 2022, to obtain cocaine with the assistance of a person identified as Iwolabi from Brazil.
The two men were arrested by Police IRT operatives on January 19, 2022, and transferred to the NDLEA on January 25, 2022, for further investigation and prosecution.
On Wednesday, another NDLEA officer, David, told the court that although he had been rostered for duty on the day of the incident, he did not report for work after informing his officer-in-charge that he was ill.
David, who said he joined the agency in July 2021 and was posted to Enugu Airport in November of the same year, admitted that he had no medical report to support his absence.
He said he learnt about the arrest of the two suspects from other people and later saw them at the NDLEA headquarters after their transfer by Police IRT operatives.
David also told the court that some NDLEA officers were transferred out of Enugu after the incident, although he said he did not know the reasons for the transfers.
He described himself as surprised by reports that drug traffickers could pass through the airport without being checked, but said he did not know what had happened on the day in question.
The witness identified Tukur Garba, a Chief Superintendent of Narcotics, as the officer-in-charge on duty that day. He also said he had never been detained or prosecuted in connection with the case and was unaware of any colleagues who had faced such proceedings.
The trial is examining the circumstances surrounding the movement of the cocaine through the airport, the actions of officers on duty and the subsequent arrest and transfer of the suspects. The allegations and testimony presented in court remain subject to judicial determination.
NDLEA Officers Testify in Abba Kyari Trial Over 19.5kg Cocaine Recovered at Enugu Airport