A 29-year old, Plateau state-born
teacher, Lohnan Joseph, has been intercepted while trying to board a Saudi
Arabia bound flight at Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto on
Sunday.
Joseph, a Christian and a former
teacher at Global Kids Academy, Sokoto, was said to have joined the screening line
of Zamfara State intending pilgrims, who were about to board the flight in the
early hours of Sunday.
Speaking to newsmen, Alhaji
Mukhtari Lugga, the Zamfara Commissioner for Environment and one of the state’s
Hajj officials, who was among the people who spotted and consequently
intercepted the suspect, said that “Joseph just came from nowhere and joined
their line during the screening.”
“He was easily identified as an
alien among them because he was not wearing the uniform. This was what drew our
attention to him and we quickly notified the police who came and picked him up
for interrogation.”
Lugga said that 40 pieces of
10,000 France Franc, eight pieces of 5,000 France Franc, one piece of 1,000
France Franc and N610 in different denominations were found in his possession
as well as his personal belongings and credentials concealed in a black bag.
Asked why he, as a Christian,
joined the line of pilgrims boarding a hajj flight, Joseph said: “I am a
Nigerian, so I don’t believe in discrimination, whether you are a christian or
Muslim”.
He also said that he wanted to be
like Herbert Macaulay, whom he read, had travelled to London amidst
difficulties .
Joseph also said that his mission
was not to travel but only to visit the airport and come back.
While parading the suspect,
Sokoto state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Shu’aibu Gambo, said the suspect
was intercepted at around 9 a.m, as he attempted to join the screening line of
Zamfara pilgrims.
Gambo said that Joseph had said
at his interrogation that he wanted to go to London and had mentioned names of
some people as his accomplices.
The police commissioner said his
men would go after the people to establish their true mission.(NAN)
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