Metro
NDLEA Arrests Wanted Lagos Pastor For Cross-border Drug Trafficking
Published
3 weeks agoon
By
Editor
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, Adefolusho Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, over his alleged role in multiple shipments of illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria.
Olasele, who had been on the run for months, was apprehended on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at his church in Okun Ajah, Lekki, Lagos.
A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said operatives waited until the end of the Sunday service before arresting him as he stepped out of the premises.
According to him, the pastor fled to Ghana in June to evade arrest after operatives linked him to two cannabis seizures — 200kg recovered at Okun Ajah Beach on June 4 and 700kg found in his delivery van on July 6.
READ ALSO:NDLEA Intercepts Drugs In Factory-fitted Lipsticks At Lagos Airport
“After months of fleeing abroad to evade arrest, the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele (alias Abbas Ajakaiye) has been arrested for masterminding multiple shipments of illicit drugs into Nigeria.
“Prophet Adefolusho was arrested at his church located in Okun Ajah, Ogombo road, Lekki area of Lagos on Sunday, 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. 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,” the statement read.
In his statement, Babafemi claimed the pastor confessed to ferrying the consignments via waterways from Ghana.
READ ALSO:NDLEA Nabs Wanted Drug Kingpin With 11.6kg Cocaine, Meth After Seven Years
He said, “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 a separate operation in Lagos on Thursday, August 7, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives raided an apartment at Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, where they arrested Benjamin Ukoh and recovered 32 pouches of Canadian Loud, weighing 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 8th August, another suspect Umar Adamu Umar, 27, was taken into custody on Wednesday 6th August by NDLEA officers after seizing 9kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis from him along Zaria-Kano road, Kano, ” the statement added.
READ ALSO:NDLEA Detains Couple, 2 Daughters For Alleged Drug Running
In Gombe State, Babafemi stated that a raid on an uncompleted building in Tudun Wadan Pantami on Friday, August 8, led to the recovery of 550,266 opioid pills and the arrest of Usama Isah.
“The following day, Saturday 9th August, another suspect, Ibrahim Adamu, 23, was arrested by NDLEA officers along Potiskum road, Bajoga with 50,000 capsules of tramadol”, he added.
In Edo State, a Toyota Hiace bus travelling from Onitsha to Isanlu, Kogi, was intercepted at Ewu junction on Wednesday, August 6, with 23,940 tramadol capsules, 1,100 tablets, and 400 pentazocine ampoules. The driver, Taiye Jethro, was arrested.
Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), urged personnel nationwide to maintain a balanced approach to drug control operations.
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No fewer than twelve Internally Displaced Persons from Agagbe camps in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State have suffered snake bite between January and now.
Terna Ibaah, also an IDP who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday from one of the camps in Agagbe, said that the latest victim was a 14-year-old Chagu Terhemen who was bitten by a snake last Friday without medical treatment.
Ibaah said, “Snake has bitten Master Chagu Terhemen, 14 years, who was displaced from his village, Tse Abian, in the Sengev Council Ward of Gwer West LGA.
“The 14-year-old boy was going to the farm with his father, Tse Kyomke Mbapupuu, in Gaambe Ushin Council Ward when he was bitten by a snake.”
READ ALSO:VIDEO: Fire Averted As Fuel Tanker Explodes In Lagos
He added that they had applied traditional treatment, but it seems not to be working, as the victim, as of Sunday afternoon, started convulsing.
He added that the fear of losing the young man necessitated the alarm raised, and added that the medical personnel only visit the IDP camps between Monday and Thursday.
When asked if there had been frequent snake bites of IDPs in Agagbe community, Ibaah said, “From January this year till now, we have recorded 12 victims of snake bites in Agagbe among the IDPs. Fortunately, no one has died.”
READ ALSO:Katsina, UNDP To Return 270,000 IDPs To Ancestral Homes
Ibaah, who is also a displaced person who claimed that most of the victims of snakebite were being treated with traditional medicine, accused the representative of the State Emergency Management Agency in the camp of neglecting the victims of the snakebite.
“The camp manager said that they cannot treat him because he is not staying in the camp, but he knows that due to congestion in the camps, some of the registered IDPs stay with the host community. The victim registration number is 81XO1649,” Ibaah said.
Ibaah said that there are five places where IDPs are camped in Agabe, namely, RCM Primary School, Sisters Convent, Saint Francis Secondary School, the old police station and Adzequa store, all in Agagbe and added that they were all congested.
READ ALSO:Varsity Bars Edo IDPs From Exams Over Non-payment Of Fees
When contacted, the Information Officer of SEMA, Tema Ager, said that the agency had a Memorandum of Understanding with the State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, where they could rush the patient for treatment.
Ager said, “But SEMA has an MOU with the State University Teaching Hospital, where they can rush the patient for treatment.”
The Information Officer, however, said that as long as the victim is a registered IDP, he should be allowed to be taken for treatment at the Teaching Hospital.
Metro
Mob Lynches Woman Over Alleged Blasphemous Utterance In Niger
Published
9 hours agoon
August 31, 2025By
Editor
The Niger State command of the Nigeria Police Force has confirmed a lady, simply known as Ammaye, was burnt to death by a mob over an alleged blasphemous utterance against the Islamic faith before security reinforcement could arrive.
Spokesman of the Command, Wasiu Abiodun, who revealed this in a statement on Sunday, said efforts are ongoing to identify, arrest, and prosecute all those involved in the crime.
Ammaye, a food seller, was lynched and set ablaze in Mariga Local Government Area of the state by suspected angry youths over alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred at Kasuwan Garba in the council area, when the lady, a Muslim faithful and well-known food seller, was said to have engaged in an exchange of words with a young man said to be her nephew.
READ ALSO:Leader Of UK Christian Group Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Women
The young man was said to have jokingly told Ammaye that he wanted to marry her to “fulfil the Sunnah”. The lady was said to have made comments considered blasphemous.
This was said to have outraged the young men in the neighbourhood. The matter was taken to the palace of the District Head of Kasuwan Garba, where the lady was interrogated, and she allegedly repeated what she had earlier said.
The District Head was said to have handed Ammaye over to security operatives for further investigation, but a crowd of agitated youths overpowered the security operatives, insisting on her immediate execution.
It was learnt that before security reinforcement could arrive, the mob, made up of young men, had stoned Ammaye to death.
READ ALSO:Nigerian Man Pleads Guilty In US To $405,000 Romance Scam Against American Women
Niger State Police spokesman disclosed that the tragic incident occurred on 30th August, 2025, at about 2:00 pm.
According to him, “a report was received that one Amaye, a female resident of Kasuwan-Garba in Mariga LGA, allegedly made some utterances considered offensive to the Islamic faith. Her comments quickly provoked anger among members of the community.
“Unfortunately, it led to a mob attack, and the woman was set ablaze before the reinforcement of security teams could arrive at the scene,” Abiodun stated.
READ ALSO:FG Security Agency, Nigerian Army Move To Tackle Illicit Small Arms, Light Weapons
The spokesman said that while normalcy has since been restored to the area, the Police Command strongly condemns the act of jungle justice and assured that efforts are underway to identify, arrest, and prosecute all those involved in the crime.
Abiodun appealed to members of the public to remain calm, avoid taking the law into their own hands, and allow security agencies to handle sensitive matters in line with the provisions of the law.
The Chairman of Mariga Local Government, Abbas Adamu, who also confirmed the incident, reaffirmed that calm has since been restored to the area.

The Zone XI Police Headquarters has arrested a suspected fake lawyer identified as Emmanuel Odeh, parading himself as a qualified attorney for almost 10 years mostly in Lagos and Abuja.
According to The PUNCH, Odeh has been allegedly duping unsuspecting Nigerians under the guise of legal representation, estate agency, and public consultancy.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Ade Ogunyemi, who disclosed Odeh was arrested by operatives of the X-Squad Section of the Zone, led by ACP Akinloye Oyegade.
He explained that Odeh was arrested on Thursday at a court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while appearing as counsel for a client.
READ ALSO:Police Arrest Kidnap Kingpin, Others In Benue
“Emmanuel Odeh was arrested on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at a court premises in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while standing as a legal representative for an unsuspecting client.
“ACP Oyegade stated that the self-acclaimed lawyer had been under investigation for impersonation and fraud.
“Investigations revealed that the suspect operated under the name A O EMMANUEL, LEGAL PRACTITIONER AND PUBLIC CONSULTANT,” the statement partly read.
Ogunyemi said the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone XI Headquarters, Osogbo, Emuobo Ekokotu, urged Nigerians to always verify the authenticity of legal practitioners before engaging their services.
READ ALSO:Police Arrest Ex-Soldier, Four Others Over Armed Robbery, Kidnapping In Anambra
AIG Ekokotu described the case as another clear example of why Nigerians must be vigilant.
“This case underscores the dangers of dealing with unverified legal practitioners.
“Victims of such impostors risk losing their hard-earned money, suffering inadequate legal representation, having their cases compromised, and even facing damage to their reputation,” he said.
He warned that the police will not hesitate to bring impersonators to justice.
READ ALSO:Two US Pastors Arrested In $50m Human Trafficking, Fraud Case
“This incident should serve as a deterrent to criminal-minded individuals who falsely present themselves as lawyers in order to exploit innocent citizens.
“The long arm of the law will always catch up with them,” Ekokotu stated.
Ogunyemi confirmed that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
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