The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele (alias Abbas Ajakaiye), for masterminding multiple shipments of illicit drugs into Nigeria after months of fleeing abroad to evade arrest.

A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday said, Prophet Adefolusho was arrested at his church located in Okun Ajah, Ogombo road, Lekki area of Lagos on 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.

The 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.

According to the statement, the first seizure of 200kg of the psychoactive substance was made at Okun Ajah beach on 4th June 2025, while another consignment of 700kg of the same substance was recovered from his delivery van on 6th July 2025.

In his statement, he admitted ferrying the illicit consignments through the waterways from Ghana into Nigeria, adding that he had fled to the West African country to hide after he escaped arrest twice in the recent past.

In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on 7th August raided an apartment at Kishi House 11, Layi Ajayi Bembe street, Parkview Estate Ikoyi, where they arrested a suspect, Benjamin Udo Ukoh and recovered 32 pouches of Canadian Loud, a strain of Cannabis with a total weight of 15.63kg.

In Nasarawa state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, recovered a large consignment of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 3,093 kilograms from the trio of Emmanuel Asoquo Johnny, Okem Raphael and Chekwube Odo at New Karu area of the state.

While 29-year-old Nura Yahaya was nabbed at Geza area of Kumbotso Kano State with 639 blocks of skunk weighing 359kg on Friday, another suspect Umar Adamu Umar was taken into custody on Wednesday by NDLEA officers after seizing 9kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis from him along Zaria-Kano road, Kano.

In another interdiction operation in Kano, 20,000 pills of tramadol and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection were recovered from a suspect Usman Musa, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria-Kano road on Friday.

A raid at an uncompleted building located at Tudun Wadan Pantami in Gombe town, Gombe state on Friday, led to the recovery of 550, 266 pills of opioids mainly tramadol while a suspect, Usama Isah was arrested.

The following day, Saturday 9th August, another suspect Ibrahim Adamu, was arrested by NDLEA officers along Potiskum road, Bajoga with 50,000 capsules of tramadol.

In Edo state, a white Toyota Hiace bus marked YAB 5522 K coming from Onitsha Anambra and heading to Isanlu in Kogi was on 6th August intercepted at Ewu junction, Edo by NDLEA operatives who, after a search recovered 23, 940 capsules of tramadol, 1,100 tablets of same opioid and 400 ampoules of pentazocine injection with a suspect Taiye Jethro arrested.

While commending the officers and men of the Lagos, Nasarawa, Gombe, Kano, and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency. (Sunday Tribune, but headline rejigged)

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