Fidelia Okafor.

Five crew members who tested positive for marijuana during a multidrug screening have been suspended from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). They were detected during their training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

Mr. Sam Adurogboye, the General Manager of Public Affairs, NCAA in a statement said that the step was taken to heighten safety in the industry.

The authority considered their responses after it had confirmed that they had tested positive for Tetra Hydro Cannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

The substance has been deemed prohibited by the authority and thus the defaulters are to repeat the examination but would be denied the cabin crew licence until they were successfully rehabilitated and re-issued the medical certificate as been declared by Adurogboye.

Mr. Adurogboye also maintained that a report be delivered to the NCAA by the medical centre in strict confidence for the consideration of re-issuance of the medical certificates at the end of the rehabilitation exercise.