By IBIRONKE ARIYO

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Saturday dissociated itself from an audio recording circulating in the social media purported to be that of an NDLEA officer.

Attached to the audio is the picture of a Nigerian man said to be based in the U.S.A. but returning to Nigeria.

The person in the audio was negotiating payment of N5 million for the release of the U.S.-based Nigerian purportedly arrested on Friday at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos upon arrival and in possession of contraband.

Spokesman of the NDLEA stated on Saturday that investigation showed that like in previous instances, the current incident was the work of scammers.

“No NDLEA officer is involved in the audio conversation and the person whose photo was attached to the audio recording being circulated is not in our custody.

“The family members involved in this case are advised not to part with their hard-earned money to scammers.

“Nigerians with loved ones abroad are advised to keep discussions about travel plans of their relatives to themselves to avoid the hijack of such information by criminal elements for devious schemes,’’ Babafemi stated.

He explained that In the scheme, scammers would call potential victims to inform them about the arrest of their returning relatives at any of the country’s international airports in possession of illicit drugs.

“After throwing the family members into panic, the scammers then make a demand of millions of naira to facilitate the release of such persons from NDLEA custody,’’ he added.

Babafemi stressed that the agency had frustrated a number of such attempts in the past when family members called the agency’s official contacts for help or clarification.

“For those who may have a similar challenge, please feel free to seek help or clarification through any of these contact lines: +2347064670026 and +2348033326327,’’ he stated. (NAN)