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, for allegedly masterminding multiple shipments of illicit drugs into Nigeria.
NDLEA spokesperson Mr. Femi Babafemi who confirmed this in a statement says, the cleric, who had fled abroad for months to evade arrest, was apprehended on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at his church in the Okun Ajah area of Lekki, Lagos.
Operatives reportedly laid siege to the premises from morning until the end of the evening service before moving in to arrest him as he stepped outside.
The agency had been trailing Olasele since June following the seizure of two separate consignments of “Ghana Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, linked to him.
The first, weighing 200 kilograms, was intercepted at Okun Ajah beach on June 4, while another 700 kilograms were recovered from his delivery van on July 6.
Investigations according to Mr. Babafemi revealed that the shipments were ferried through waterways from Ghana.
The suspect admitted to moving the illicit cargoes and disclosed that he fled to Ghana to hide after twice escaping arrest.
In a related crackdown, NDLEA operatives in Lagos raided an apartment in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, where a suspect, Benjamin Udo Ukoh, was arrested with 32 pouches of Canadian Loud cannabis weighing 15.63 kilograms.
Nationwide operations in recent days have also yielded significant seizures.
In Nasarawa State, officers recovered 3,093 kilograms of “skunk” cannabis, while in Kano, operatives intercepted 20,000 pills of tramadol and 200 ampoules of diazepam injections.
In Gombe State, raids led to the seizure of over 550,000 pills of opioids, mainly tramadol, with a follow-up operation uncovering an additional 50,000 capsules.
While in Edo State, searches led to the recovery of nearly 24,000 capsules of tramadol, over 1,000 tablets of the same drug, and 400 ampoules of pentazocine, with one suspect, identified as Taiye Jethro, taken into custody.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying efforts against drug trafficking networks across the country, noting that no individual, regardless of status, would be spared from the law.
Reporting by Nosa Aituamen