National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), yesterday, arrested a
36-year-old Turkish airline’s passenger with 107 automated teller
machine (ATM) cards at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport
(MMIA), Lagos.
The
suspect, who holds a dual identity, was apprehended during an outward
screening of the Turkish Airline passengers to Istanbul, Turkey at the
airport when the cards were discovered by anti-narcotics officials.
Speaking
on the arrest, NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr Hamza Umar, noted that the
suspect was also arrested with two international passports with his
photographs but bearing different names.
“He had a Nigerian passport
with the name Funsho Oladimeji Babatunde and a Turkish passport with the
name Kosar Kursat both bearing his photographs. The cards found in his
luggage are 68 Citi Interswitch Master cards and 39 Citi Interswitch
Visa cards”, Hamza stated.
Meanwhile, Chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu
Giade, has directed that the suspect be transferred to the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation, confirming
that the suspect was caught with the ATM cards.
The suspect, a
native of Iwo in Kwara State and lives in Surulere, Lagos, told
investigators that he was taking the cards to a friend in Turkey.
The
Ordinary National Diploma (OND) graduate of Kwara Polytechnic said, “My
friend in Turkey called me that I should help to send the cards to him
in Istanbul, Turkey. When I collected the cards in Lagos, I kept them in
my bag but, during search, the officer saw the cards and took me in for
interrogation. I am an OND graduate of economics of Kwara Polytechnic” .