The suspect, who feigned ignorance of the Indian hemp smuggling, stated that she was hired by one of the prisoner’s brothers, to help deliver spicy biscuits, milk, and milo, to his sibling.
Woman caught while trying to smuggle Indian hemp to prisoner
A woman, identified as Ijeoma Franca, has been apprehended for attempting to smuggle a substance believed to be Indian hemp into the Medium Security Prisons in Kuje, Abuja.
The contraband was hidden inside a carton of spicy biscuits and was discovered during a standard search of visitors by prison staff.
According to a statement from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Prison Command’s spokesperson, Humphery Chukwuedo revealed that during questioning, the suspect claimed she had been hired by a man named Daniel to deliver the package to his brother, Miracle Amechi, who is an inmate at the facility.
Franca asserted that she was unaware of the true contents of the carton, which also contained items like milk, Milo, shirts, and ₦2,500.
Chukwuedo confirmed that Franca has been transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation.
“During the interrogation, she claimed that one Mr. Daniel had engaged her to take some package to his brother, Miracle Amechi who is an inmate in Kuje prison and the package includes a carton of spicy biscuit, rolls of milk and milo, shirts and ₦2500 and that she was ignorant of the real contents of the carton of spicy biscuit,” Chukwuedo was quoted as saying.
In response to the incident, Sylvester Nwakuche, the Controller of Prisons for the FCT Command, issued a stern warning to visitors, urging them to refrain from smuggling illicit drugs into the prison or facilitating their use among inmates. He emphasised that such activities undermine the rehabilitation and reform efforts within the facility and pose significant health risks to the prisoners.
Nwakuche also called on the public to continue supporting the efforts of prison authorities, led by Controller-General Ahmed Jafaru, in maintaining the integrity of the correctional system and ensuring a safer society.
