Apparently jolted by Monday’s arrest of two of its crew members in London for alleged drug trafficking and possession of banned substances, Nigeria’s largest carrier Arik Air has vowed to prevent a similar incident in future.
The airline said in a statement issued here that it is committed to the fight against drug and illicit substances trafficking and would not tolerate the use of any of its aircraft or crew for the courier of banned items and substances.
”Arik Air carries out very stringent checks on all members of staff and its travelling guests ahead of all flights,” the statement said. “It will continue to focus its attention on measures to prevent the possibility of any future similar incidents.”
The airline promised to cooperate fully with the UK authorities and all other concerned agencies in their investigations into the arrest.
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the crew members, Temitayo Olubunmi Daramola and Delita Abibimgbi, were arrested after their flight touched down at Heathrow Airport. The flight had left Nigeria’s economic capital city of Lagos earlier in the day.
Daramola was found in possession of six kilogrammes of cocaine, while Abibimgbi was found with 60 packets of cigarettes.
PANA reports that NDLEA is currently investigating the incident
