I abandoned school for drug business – Suspect

Though not born into a wealthy family, hope appeared high for Anthony Obinna Akwaeze through his educational pursuits and later business endeavours. However, he abandoned all and went for the illicit business of drugs. Why?

Anthony Obinna Akwaeze was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he never hid that fact from anyone. But through friends and communal efforts, he managed to secure admission into the Abia State University where he was to study Guidance and Counselling. But Akwaeze, 30, could not complete his university education when help stopped coming from his sponsors.

With assurances from peers and some elders in the community that he stands to get more money out of school he stopped schooling in 200 Level, barely 18 months to graduation. But he did not know from where the money promised would come from. He hails from Umunya in Anambra State.

With the assistance of some elders in his church even while in school, Akwaeze was enrolled as an apprentice to learn the art of selling textile materials in Aba, Abia State. This he initially combined with his education before he eventually dropped out. It did not take long before he mastered the trade of his choice.

With little cash he was able to garner during his apprenticeship, he later set up his own business where he rented a shop at Ahiaohuru Market in Aba, selling textile materials. He could not be said to be doing badly in his business, as he soon began travelling outside the state to buy his wares from Lagos and other states in the country.

But he was still not contented with his income. He wanted to make more money. He soon met an old friend of his who linked him with a drug cartel in Lagos. From there on, discussions commenced on how Akwaeze would courier drugs to the United Kingdom.

With the promise of N1 million upon successfully handing the consignment over to an agent in Manchester, England, he chose to close his shop for three weeks being the duration of his stay in the European country. Last week, Akwaeze was at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) laden with a banned substance later discovered to be cocaine.

On the day he was meant to travel, he arrived in Lagos and checked into a hotel from where he ingested 76 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.085kg, and headed straight for the airport. The drugs were neatly wrapped in cello tape before he swallowed them.

While at the departure hall of the airport, all intending passengers scheduled to fly the British Airways flight to London were subjected to normal body scan by operatives of the anti-narcotics agents.

During the screening exercise, Akwaeze was set aside for further checks and taken to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)’s office inside the complex and placed on observation.

True to the suspicion of the anti-narcotics agents, Akwaeze ingested all warps of cocaine he had swallowed before he arrived at the airport. He is currently assisting antinarcotics agents in the investigations into the crime hoping to unravel the syndicate behind the deal.

Confessing to his crime, Akwaeze told anti-narcotics agents that he abandoned his education and business to courier drugs. “I am a trader at Ahiaohuru Market Aba where I sell textiles and also a former student of Abia State University.

My school and business suffered huge losses and I wanted to use the one million naira they promised to pay me in revamping my business. I never thought of arrest because my mind was focused on how to revive my business. I had gone far in the deal than to step back. I wanted to see the deal out because of the money involved. It is hardship that led me into drug trafficking. I am from a poor family,” Akwaeze said amid tears.

Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, Chairman of the NDLEA, in his reaction to the latest arrest, wondered how an undergraduate would leave his education and the business he is into to courier drugs. He described it as leaving the known for the unknown.

“I urge members of the public to resist any temptation to smuggle drugs because of the consequences. You do not need to be involved in crime to be successful, it will only destroy your good record bringing about frustration” Giade said. Mitchell Ofoyeju, spokesman for the agency, told our reporter that the matter is still under investigation and would be taken to court on completion of investigation.