Umeube spoke in court on Friday while revealing how a whistleblower from Brazil informed the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) about their movement.

He was cross-examined by counsel to Kyari and two others, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja.

The witness recalled that they were arrested upon arrival at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, NAN reports.

Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne were caught on January 19 after smuggling cocaine into Nigeria from Ethiopia.

They were sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to the counts preferred against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The term would run concurrently as part of their plea bargain agreement; the duo agreed to stand as NDLEA’s witness in the trial of Kyari and others.

They are ACP Sunday Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu, the 2nd to 5th defendant.

Umeibe told NDLEA’s lawyer, Joseph Sunday, that at the Enugu airport, he passed health officials who checked COVID-19 records as well as Immigration officers.

“After Immigration, I met two young men in suits. They took my international passport and asked where I was coming from, I told them I was coming from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They checked my passport and referred me to a checking counter.

“I met about four or five men. They collected my passport and said, ‘young man, as you are looking fresh, do New Year for us’. I gave them N5,000.”

Umeibe said as he headed towards Ezenwanne, who was waiting at the parking lot, a man in mufti accosted him and requested his passport.

“I asked him what for? He put his hand inside his pocket and brought out a police ID card. Other policemen were standing at my back on mufti.”

The witness said the policemen then brought out their jackets with IRT inscriptions and arrested him and Ezenwanne.

Umeibe confirmed that the team was led by ASP James, who supervised the journey to the IRT Office in Abuja.

“As we were coming towards that Igala road (in Kogi), my hope was that they would leave us on the road, and carry the market (cocaine) and go.

“I started begging the man (James) again, ‘please sir, help us. He said if we disturbed him again, he would waste (kill) us; that we never reach people that they used to waste.”

Umeibe further told the court that he kept quiet after the stern warning by the IRT operative

Sunday informed the judge that closed-circuit television (CCT) footage of what transpired at the Enugu airport proved that NDLEA agents were not involved in the clearance of the convicts.

Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until December 1 and 2 for trial continuation.