The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA is issuing a stern caution to travellers, advising them against accepting bags from unfamiliar individuals without prior knowledge of their contents.
This warning, conveyed through the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, was shared on the agency’s Instagram account on Sunday, April 21st, 2024.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6A9gqpox0I/?igsh=N2pqNDEyYnVwa2I2
The statement reads;
A PhD student and another student studying abroad got into custody because bottles of codeine syrup were found in the luggage they picked for their female friend abroad
Femi Babafemi – Director of Media and Advocacy
They would have been jailed if #ndlea_nigeria had not worked hard to ensure the owner was put on the next flight home….
The reason why we warn you not to take any luggage you don’t know is its content from anyone.
This has given rise to stringent search at highway check points on travelers by NDLEA officials.
Babafemi elaborated on the necessity of this warning by citing an incident involving two students, one of whom was pursuing a PhD, who faced legal trouble when bottles of codeine syrup were discovered in luggage they were transporting for a female friend.
He emphasized the potential consequences, noting that the students could have been imprisoned if not for the intervention of the NDLEA, which ensured the rightful owner was promptly identified and sent home.
Consequently, heightened scrutiny and thorough searches at highway checkpoints on travelers by NDLEA officials have been implemented as a result of this incident.
Story: Angela Osuji
Credit: Femibabafemi/Instagram