The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a significant blow to international drug trafficking with the arrest of Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church.
Olasele, who had been on the run for months to evade arrest, is believed to be the mastermind behind multiple illegal drug shipments into Nigeria.
NDLEA operatives apprehended him at his church in Lekki, Lagos, on Sunday, August 3.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement emailed to Persecondnews on Sunday, August 10, by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi.
The statement reads: “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.
“The first seizure of 200kg of the psychoactive substance was made at Okun Ajah beach on June 4, 2025 while another consignment of 700kg of same substance was recovered from his delivery van on July 6, 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 Thursday, August 7, 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, August 9, recovered a large consignment of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 3,093 kilograms from the trio of Emmanuel Asoquo Johnny, 51; Okem Raphael, 33, and Chekwube Odo, 25, 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, August 8, another suspect Umar Adamu Umar, 27,was taken into custody on Wednesday, August 6, by NDLEA officers after seizing 9kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis from him along Zaria-Kano road, Kano.”
The statement also reads: “In another interdiction operation in Kano, 20,000 pills of tramadol and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection were recovered from a suspect Usman Musa, 30, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria-Kano road on Friday, August 8.
“A raid at an uncompleted building located at Tudun Wadan Pantami in Gombe town, Gombe state on Friday, August 8, led to the recovery of 550, 266 pills of opioids mainly tramadol while a suspect Usama Isah was arrested.
“The following day Saturday, August 9, another suspect Ibrahim Adamu, 23, 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 Wednesday, August 6, 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.”
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
These include WADA enlightenment lectures 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; and members of the Engine Grinders Association, Gboko, Benue.
While the Ekiti state command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ado Ekiti, the Anambra state command of the Agency paid a similar WADA advocacy visit to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
The NDLEA Chairman/CEO, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of the Lagos, Nasarawa, Gombe, Kano, and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity.
He also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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