A former employee of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Chukwunonye

Madubuike, has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for alleged indiscriminate distribution of controlled substance (codeine) in Lagos State.

It was learnt that Madubuike, who reportedly sold the illegal substance to a British Broadcasting Corporation’s undercover investigator, Adejuwon Soyinka, had been on the run since the news of the transaction broke.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, on Wednesday, said the suspect, who wanted to escape to Cotonou, Benin Republic, was arrested in the Idiroko border town of Ogun State.

He added that Madubuike said he sold the controlled substance in order to meet his sales target.

The CP said, “On Tuesday, May 1, 2018, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, reported a case of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance in breach of the drug laws of Nigeria by Chukwunonye Madubuike.

“It was alleged that while in the employment of Emzor, the subject had access to limited quantity of Emzolyn with codeine for the purpose of distribution to licensed retail pharmacies in his assigned territory, but due to his greed for money, he knowingly supplied the controlled drug to persons who are not supposed to have access to them in the first place contrary to the dictates of the drug laws of Nigeria.

“The suspect, who has been on the run since May 2018, was eventually arrested at Idiroko town of Ogun State while trying to escape to Cotonou, Benin Republic.

“Recall that the BBC did a broadcast on the activities of the subject, who was caught on camera selling restricted drug to a BBC undercover investigator, Adejuwon Soyinka, aka Mr Johnson.

“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 said he regretted selling the controlled substance to unauthorised persons.”