GENERAL OVERSEER OF LAGOS-BASED CHURCH ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF CROSS-BORDER DRUG TRAFFICKING

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a so-called General Overseer of a church in the Ajah area of Lagos State for alleged involvement in cross-border drug trafficking.

NDLEA spokesman, FEMI BABAFEMI, gave the name of the suspect as Prophet ADEFOLUSHO AANU OLASELE. alias ABBAS AJAKAIYE, who is said to be the General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church.

Confirming the development in a statement, BABAFEMI said that Prophet ADEFOLUSHO was arrested on August 3, 2025, at his church premises in Okun Ajah, Ogombo road, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos.

The spokesman said operatives waited for the man to conclude his Sunday worship service in the evening before moving in on him the moment he stepped out of the church premises.

He said the suspect had masterminded multiple shipments of illicit drugs into Nigeria and had evaded arrest twice and fled Ghana to hide since June, following the seizure of two shipments of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis linked to him.

The spokesman said ADEFOLUSHO admitted in his statement that he transported the hard drug through the waterways from Ghana into Nigeria.

In another development, NDLEA operatives have raided an apartment at Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, where they arrested one BENJAMIN UDO UKOH and recovered over fifteen kilograms of Canadian Loud.

In Nasarawa state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday August 9, recovered a large consignment of skunk, weighing over three thousand kilograms from the trio of EMMANUEL ASOQUO JOHNNY, OKEM RAPHAEL, and CHEKWUBE ODO, at New Karu area of the state.