Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a pastor and his wife near the Seme border area of Lagos State after discovering 11 kilograms of skunk concealed in hidden compartments of their vehicle. In a Sunday statement signed by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, the suspects, a 45-year-old Pastor identified as Afolabi Hodonu, in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border, Badagry, and his wife, 35-year-old Success Hodonu, were apprehended on Thursday, April 2, at the Gbaji checkpoint.
According to the statement, the couple’s arrest followed the apprehension of a fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, 35, at the same checkpoint on Monday, March 30, while conveying 24.5kg skunk from Seme border to Lagos. The agency successfully dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate in high-stakes intelligence-led operations that lasted three weeks, during which cocaine consignments concealed in tins of palm kernel extract heading to the United Kingdom were intercepted.
The statement also revealed that the warehouse where the shipments are packaged was raided while all three layers of the group were unravelled, leading to the arrest of the kingpin. His arrest provided the link to the syndicate’s head, 52-year-old King Arinze, who was flushed out of a hideout in the Isolo area of Lagos.
In a separate operation in Borno state, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, April 1, intercepted a female drug supplier identified as a 28-year-old Aisha Adamu, who provided illicit substances to bandit groups operating between the North East and Chad.
In another operation in Adamawa state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Namtari road, Yola South, on Monday, March 30, intercepted a trailer transporting 48,000 pills of tramadol. In Edo state, a suspect, Roland Owie, 37, was arrested on Monday, March 30, following the raid of his warehouse where 1,378 kilograms of skunk were recovered.
A notorious drug dealer, 40-year-old Ayantola Omodunmomi popularly known as Iya Elle, was arrested at Eleta area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. Her arrest follows intelligence and surveillance on how she uses her 11-year-old daughter, Anjola, to deliver illicit drugs to her customers, and 45.6kg of skunk was recovered from her warehouse.
Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of various NDLEA commands for their efforts in arresting drug traffickers and seizing illicit substances. Marwa stated, “These successful operations are a testament to the Agency’s evolving intelligence capabilities and our unwavering commitment to choking the supply lines of drug cartels. Whether they hide behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or complex concealment methods, we will find them.”
