The 55-year-old
Nigerian, Ambrose Okeke Infedilichukwe, arrested on Thursday at the Kotoka
International Airport Ghana, for swallowing pellets of powdered substances suspected
to be cocaine has died.
He died on
Saturday evening after going through surgery at the 37 Military Hospital where
he expelled 46 of the pellets.
He had earlier
confessed to officials of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) during
interrogation that he swallowed the substance to be delivered to somebody for a
fee of $6,000.
Nii Lante
Blankson, Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of Enforcement at NACOB, who
disclosed this to The Ghanaian Times in an interview yesterday, said he
suspected that some of the pellets might have burst in the stomach.
He said
Ifedililchukwe, who is physically-challenged, was on an Emirate flight from
Cote d’Ivoire en-route to Hong-Kong via Dubai, but while on the flight, the
flight attendants noticed he was fidgeting.
On reaching KIA,
Mr ifedilichukwe, was handed over to airport officials who took him to the
Aviation Clinic where it was observed that he had swallowed illicit substances.
Mr. Blankson said
NACOB personnel on duty at the airport, were consequently informed of the
situation and they went to the clinic to interrogate the suspect, who admitted
swallowing pellets of substances to be delivered for somebody for a fee of
$6,000.
Ifedilichukwe was
subsequently taken to the Akai House Clinic at Cantonments, where an X-ray
examination confirmed some substances in his stomach.
The medical
officer on duty advised that the suspect expel the substances before he could
be treated, hence he was taken back to the Aviation Clinic, but his condition
worsened, and he was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital where he was operated
upon.
He died later
while receiving treatment