A Nigerian man who had been wanted by Dutch police for alleged narcotics trafficking for 12 years was finally apprehended in Mozambique.
Hilario Lole, a spokesman for the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) of Mozambique, revealed this in Maputo on November 7, 2022.
He noted that the 53-year-old suspect, whom he did not identify, had been wanted by Dutch police since 2010 for having 23.4 kilos of cocaine.
He mentioned that the Nigerian suspect was the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the Dutch police through Interpol.
“Through Interpol, we received the international arrest warrant for this Nigerian.” said Lole.
“During the investigations in Nigeria, he escaped, and his whereabouts were unknown until he was detained in Maputo. The Mozambican authorities intercepted this citizen, and implemented the arrest warrant, which was in the possession of Sernic,”
According to Lole, the Nigerian used documents that the Mozambican authorities suspect to be counterfeit to identify himself when he was caught.
“The name on the documents he was carrying is not his real name,” said Lole.
Lole said the man will now be extradited to Nigeria, adding that the case is now following the normal extradition procedures.
When asked if the Nigerian had committed any additional crimes, Lole responded that Sernic was working with Interpol to find out his criminal history.
“We hope to obtain clarification from the Nigerian police and from Interpol. This work will allow us to take subsequent procedures, if necessary,” he said.
The Nigerian national, however, denied all the accusations against him, and told reporters he does not know why he is under arrest.
“I don’t know why I’ve been detained”, he declared. “I’m not a drug trafficker. I’ve been in Mozambique since January of this year, but the alleged trafficker has been wanted since 2010. I came to Mozambique in search of new opportunities”