A female caterer in Lagos has gotten into trouble with the law after she was caught trying to smuggle illicit drugs into a prison.
35-year-old Oyinyechi Ezirim is said to have made an attempt to sneak marijuana (cannabis sativa) into the Kirikiri prison where her boyfriend was being held.
She is said to have concealed the dried weed inside packs of noodles which were inspected during the examination of food items brought for inmates.
The Lagos State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Aliyu Sule, disclosed this Friday.
He added that the suspect in her statement said that her detained boyfriend directed her to a woman to collect two cartons of noodles.
Aliyu said that the suspect, who was transferred to the State Command by the prison authority will soon be charged to court.
According to him, “a 35-year-old single lady, Oyinyechi Ezirim, was transferred by the Prison authorities for smuggling cannabis to inmates. The compressed dried weeds concealed inside noodles tested positive for cannabis and weighed 4.1kg. She will soon be charged to court.”
Confessing, the suspect said, “I used to buy noodles for my boyfriend who has been in prison custody for one year. He promised to get married to me and we have been in courtship. Last week, he told me that a former inmate promised to send him two cartons of noodles.
He asked me to contact the man on phone. When I did, the man referred me to his wife who gave me the noodles. Unfortunately, when I got to the prison, 20 packs of the noodles were found to contain hemp. That was how I found myself in this case.”
Commenting on the issue, Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, commended the prison authority, adding that the case will be thoroughly investigated.
“I commend the prison authority for the arrest and prompt transfer of the suspect for prosecution. This case will be properly investigated. We shall get to its root and arrest other persons involved in the criminal act. Members of the public must be careful in their dealings and avoid getting involved in drug trafficking,” Giade stated.