Drug Mule Politician, Zuru Ayortor

Eme Zuru Ayortor, a candidate for the Edo state assembly, was arrested two weeks ago at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. Mr. Ayortor, a pharmacist, was stopped while trying to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt after scanning equipment indicated that he had foreign material within his stomach cavity. While undergoing interrogation at the airport, he excreted 100 packets of cocaine weighing a total of 2.120 kilograms (4.4 lbs). According to Mr. Ayortor, the proceeds from his drug mule venture were going to help him finance his campaign for office.

Mr. Ayortor is in good company. The story in Compass by Juliana Francis and Biodun Komolafe reports previous drug smuggling arrests at the same airport have included a doctorate degree holder, an ex-councilor and a couple trying to use their children. The quantity that Ayortor ingested, however, is the record since January.