Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a former employee of Emzor Pharmaceutical Limited, Maduike Chukwunonye, for allegedly selling a cough drug containing codeine to a correspondent of the British Broadcasting Corporation, Adejuwon Soyinka.
The ex-employee told the BBC in a video that was secretly shot, that he could get cartons of the drug for its undercover reporter, alias Mr. Nohson.
This was in the heat of the ban on codeine containing drugs by the Federal Government.
The arrest of Chukwunonye was made known to newsmen by the Commissioner, Lagos State Police Command, Edgal Imohimi, who paraded him on Wednesday.
The Commissioner said the police had been on the trail of the suspect since May.
Emzor had in the light of the report by the BBC reported to the police that several cartons of the drug were missing from its store.
Imohimi said Chukwunonye tried fleeing the country when he noticed he was being hunted.
Edgal said: “The company alleged that while in its employ, the suspect had access to limited quantities of its product with codeine for the purpose of distribution to licensed retail pharmacies under his assigned territory.
“But due to his greed, the suspect knowingly supplied the controlled drugs to persons who are not supposed to have access to them, contrary to the dictates of the laws.
“He has been on the run since May, but was eventually arrested at Idi-Iroko border, Ogun State by operatives of Area ‘D’ Command while he tried to flee to Cotonou in Benin Republic.
“In his statement, he averred that he was only trying to meet his sales target and that the BBC man was introduced to him by one Pascal as a genuine businessman without verifying the former’s identity as a pharmacist. He regretted selling the controlled substances to unauthorised persons.”