A security official of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority has been implicated in the recent arrest of a Nigerian trader at the Kotoka International Airport.
The officer, Richard Baba Dassah, is a security Superintendent in charge of documentation at the Accra Airport. The 46-year-old officer was arrested together with the Nigerian trader, Mrs. Iyabo Adunni Fallaye, who had in her possession 40 oval-shaped pellets containing substances believed to be cocaine.
Mr. Dassah was alleged to have attempted to outwit Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) officials to aid Fallaye when she arrived on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A customs official is quoted as saying that when Fallaye was asked to produce her passport, Dassah quickly responded on her behalf that she arrived with her traveling certificate which is in the care of immigration officials.
The source said CEPS officials who were at the immigration hall noticed that Dassah, who was off duty that day, was engaged in a conversation with Fallaye and later collected a passport from her, which he put in his pocket. A subsequent search on Dassah revealed the passport in his pocket bearing the name and identity of Fallaye.
This aroused the suspicion of the Customs officials, who conducted a thorough search on Fallaye leading to the discovery of the substance some of which were hidden in her anus and stomach.