…. Raids Nasarawa, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Edo Of Illicit Drugs
Attah Ede and Kamsi Anayo
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a popular general overseer and founder of the Turn of Mercy Church, Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele (alias Abbas Ajakaiye) in Lagos for masterminding multiple shipments of illicit drugs into Nigeria.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA spokesperson, who made this known in a statement on Sunday, said Adefolusho’s arrest came after he had evaded arrest twice and fled to Ghana to hide since June when operatives started trailing him following the seizure of two shipments of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis linked to him.
BabaFemi stated further that the G.O was arrested at his church located in Okun Ajah, Ogombo road, Lekki area of Lagos on Sunday 3rd August 2025 by NDLEA officers who waited for him since morning to conclude the Sunday worship service in the evening before moving in on him the moment he stepped out of the church premises.
He disclosed that the first seizure of 200kg of the psychoactive substance linked to the Prophet was made at Okun Ajah beach on 4th June 2025 while another consignment of 700kg of same substance was recovered from his delivery van on 6th July 2025.
Babafemi noted that in Adefolusho’s statement, he admitted ferrying the illicit consignments through the waterways from Ghana into Nigeria and had also fled to the West African country to hide after he escaped being arrested twice in the recent past.
In a separate operation in Lagos on Thursday, August 7, NDLEA operatives raided an apartment at Kishi House, 11 Layi Ajayi Bembe Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi.
A suspect, Benjamin Udo Ukoh, was arrested, and 32 pouches of Canadian Loud, weighing 15.63kg, were recovered.
Other raids across the country in the past week led to massive drug seizures in Nasarawa State on Saturday, August 9.
Operatives recovered 3,093kg of skunk from three suspects identified as Emmanuel Asoquo Johnny (51), Okem Raphael (33), and Chekwube Odo (25) in New Karu.
In Kano State, the NDLEA officers on Friday, August 8, recovered 639 blocks of skunk, weighing 359kg, from 29-year-old Nura Yahaya in Geza, Kumbotso.
On Wednesday, August 6, Umar Adamu Umar (27) was arrested along Zaria-Kano road with 9kg of Colorado, while another suspect, Usman Musa (30), was caught at Gadar Tamburawa with 20,000 pills of tramadol and 200 ampoules of diazepam.
According to the Director, Media & Advocacy, the anti drug agency raided apartment at Tudun Wadan Pantami on Friday, August 8, recovered 550,266 pills of opioids, mostly tramadol, and arrested one Usama Isah in Gombe State, while on Saturday, August 9, Ibrahim Adamu (23) was caught along Potiskum road, Bajoga, with 50,000 capsules of tramadol in the State.
He revealed that in Edo State, on Wednesday, August 6, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Hiace bus at Ewu junction, recovering 23,940 capsules of tramadol, 1,100 tablets of the same drug, and 400 ampoules of pentazocine. The driver, identified as Taiye Jethro, was arrested.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres, military formations, and community groups.
These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Mind City College, Saki, Oyo; Gwagwarwa Primary School, Nasarawa LGA, Kano; officers of the Nigerian Army 241 Recce Model Battalion, Nguru, Yobe; members of Engine Grinders Association, Gboko, Benue; while the Ekiti state command of NDLEA paid WADA advocacy visit to the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ado Ekiti, just as the Anambra state command of the Agency paid a similar WADA advocacy visit to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
He said the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), enjoined operatives and across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
