NDLEA arrests church founder in Lagos over drug trafficking scandal tied to cannabis shipments from Ghana.
NDLEA arrests of a church founder in Lagos has made headlines after a dramatic Sunday service operation exposed a cross-border drug trafficking network allegedly masterminded by a clergyman.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confirmed that Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, was taken into custody on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at his church in the Okun Ajah area of Lekki, Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that officers had been monitoring the church leader for months, linking him to multiple cannabis shipments from Ghana to Nigeria.
According to Babafemi, operatives waited until the evening service concluded before arresting him at the church gate.
Olasele had reportedly fled to Ghana in June after evading arrest twice. Investigators tied him to the seizure of 200kg of cannabis at Okun Ajah Beach on June 4 and another 700kg found in a delivery van on July 6.
The suspect later admitted ferrying the illicit cargo through waterways to avoid detection.
The arrest is part of NDLEA’s intensified nationwide crackdown. In separate raids, large quantities of cannabis, opioids, tramadol, and synthetic drugs were seized in Lagos, Nasarawa, Kano, Gombe, and Edo States, with multiple suspects apprehended.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the teams involved and urged officers to sustain their balanced approach in the war against drug abuse.
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The agency reiterated its warning that no individual, regardless of status or religious title, is above the law when it comes to drug trafficking.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
