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| The Exhibits... |
Olawole Ayokunle Akanle owns a dual citizenship of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, having been born and lived in the European nation some forty-two years ago.
Akanle relocated back to Nigeria in 2007, upon his return he settled into trading where he deals in the sale of computer products as well as clothes and shoes to earn a living.
Akanle could not be said to lack basic things of life even with his relocation back to Nigeria. Akanle, married with four children, was still unsatisfied with his current status.
He surely wished and hoped to improve on his current living standard and did not hide his desperation at not being wealthy now and also aspiration to make it big in life at all cost. His British birth soon placed him in good stead to reach his set targets. During some discussions with some friends recently, Akanle was urged to leverage on his British citizenship and make quick money with it.
With a successful drug trip to the European nation, Akanle was assured of a handsome reward. He soon gave in to the 3,000 Pounds promised him should he successfully ferry the consignment to the UK.
Akanle dropped all options of concealing the banned substance to London, and instead opted to have the banned drugs neatly wrapped and concealed inside soap tablets.
With 11 locally- made soap tablets, Akanle concealed 630 grammes of cocaine at the basement of his travel bag. He had hoped to fool European anti-narcotics agents that he preferred to be with his Nigerian made soaps. He was wrong after all.
A few days to last Christmas, Akanle was scheduled to take an Arik Air flight to London but was apprehended after close observation. In his confessional statement, Akanle claimed that he chose the soap tablets on the believe that the drugs would not be detected. According to Akanle, "I was born in London. I lived in South East London until 2007 when I came back to Nigeria.
I am a trader, selling laptops, clothes and shoes to earn a living. I was contacted to smuggle the drugs by a friend. He told me that since I have a British passport and had lived there, it will be easy for me to handle. They also told me that the drug was neatly concealed.
He promised to pay me 3,000 pounds excluding all travel expenses. That was how I got involved", he said.
In his reaction to the arrest of the two suspects, Chairman of NDLEA Alhaji Ahmadu Giade expressed delight over the arrest. According to Mitchell Ofoyeju, spokesman for the agency, investigations are still ongoing to unravel the cartel of the suspect and that he would be charged to court upon completion.
