NDLEA Arrests Lagos Pastor for Cross-Border Drug Trafficking, Other Suspects in Kano, Gombe, Edo, Nasarawa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, over his alleged role in multiple cross-border drug trafficking operations.
The 45-year-old cleric, who had been on the run for months, was apprehended on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at his church in Okun Ajah, Lekki, Lagos. NDLEA operatives reportedly waited until the conclusion of the evening service before moving in to arrest him.
Olasele had allegedly masterminded the importation of large consignments of “Ghana Loud” — a potent strain of cannabis — into Nigeria through waterways. According to the NDLEA, he fled to Ghana in June after twice evading arrest when two separate seizures linked to him were made: 200kg of cannabis at Okun Ajah beach on June 4, and 700kg from his delivery van on July 6.
During interrogation, the suspect admitted to ferrying the illicit drugs from Ghana into Nigeria.
Further Raids Across States
In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Thursday, August 7, raided an apartment at Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, arresting one Benjamin Udo Ukoh and recovering 32 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 15.63kg.
In Nasarawa State, a team recovered 3,093kg of skunk from three suspects — Emmanuel Asoquo Johnny, 51; Okem Raphael, 33; and Chekwube Odo, 25 — at New Karu on Saturday, August 9.
Read Also:
In Kano State, 29-year-old Nura Yahaya was arrested in Kumbotso on Friday, August 8, with 639 blocks of skunk weighing 359kg, while another suspect, Umar Adamu Umar, 27, was apprehended on Wednesday, August 6, with 9kg of Colorado along the Zaria-Kano road. The same route yielded a separate seizure of 20,000 tramadol pills and 200 ampoules of diazepam from Usman Musa, 30, on August 8.
In Gombe State, NDLEA operatives recovered 550,266 pills of opioids — mainly tramadol — during a raid on an uncompleted building in Tudun Wadan Pantami on August 8, arresting one Usama Isah. The following day, another suspect, Ibrahim Adamu, 23, was intercepted along Potiskum road, Bajoga, with 50,000 tramadol capsules.
Similarly, in Edo State, officers intercepted a white Toyota Hiace bus at Ewu junction on Wednesday, August 6, seizing 23,940 tramadol capsules, 1,100 tablets of the same drug, and 400 ampoules of pentazocine. The driver, identified as Taiye Jethro, was taken into custody.
WADA Sensitization Continues Nationwide
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA commands nationwide continued the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization drive during the week. Outreach activities included lectures at Mind City College, Saki, Oyo; Gwagwarwa Primary School, Kano; Nigerian Army 241 Recce Model Battalion, Nguru, Yobe; and the Engine Grinders Association, Gboko, Benue. Advocacy visits were also paid to the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ado Ekiti and the Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the Lagos, Nasarawa, Gombe, Kano, and Edo commands for their “dexterity and diligence” in recent operations. He urged officers nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with prevention efforts.
By PRNigeria
