NDLEA Arrests Lagos Church Leader In Major Drug Trafficking Bust.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele, the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, for his alleged involvement in orchestrating multiple illicit drug shipments into Nigeria. The arrest took place on Sunday, 3 August 2025, at the church premises in Okun Ajah, Ogombo Road, Lekki, Lagos, following a carefully coordinatedilibre
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Prophet Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, had been a wanted man since June, having evaded capture on two previous occasions and fled to Ghana to avoid arrest. The agency’s persistence paid off as operatives waited until the conclusion of the Sunday worship service to apprehend him as he left the church. The operation was the culmination of months of surveillance prompted by the seizure of two significant consignments of “Ghana Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, linked directly to the suspect. The first seizure, weighing 200 kilograms, was intercepted at Okun Ajah beach on 4 June 2025, while a second haul of 700 kilograms was recovered from a delivery van on 6 July 2025.
In a statement, Prophet Olasele reportedly confessed to transporting the illicit substances via waterways from Ghana to Nigeria. He admitted to fleeing to Ghana after narrowlylettere
The NDLEA’s broader operation saw the recovery of 3,476 kilograms of cannabis strains, including Colorado, Loud, and Skunk, alongside 645,906 opioid pills across raids in Lagos, Nasarawa, Kano, Gombe, and Edo. Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), the NDLEA Chairman, commended the operatives for their professionalism and urged them to maintain a balanced approach in their ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking. He also called for collective action from families, religious leaders, and community figures to address the rising issues of substance abuse, cultism, and banditry among Nigerian youths.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives conducted raids across other states, recovering substantial quantities of drugs. In Nasarawa, 3,093 kilograms of skunk were seized from three suspects on 9 August. In Kano, multiple arrests were made, including one individual with 359 kilograms of skunk and another with 9 kilograms of Colorado cannabis. In Gombe, 550,266 opioid pills were recovered, and in Edo, a bus carrying 23,940 tramadol capsules was intercepted.
The NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns continued across schools, religious centres, and workplaces nationwide, with advocacy visits to institutions such as the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ado Ekiti and the Anambra State House of Assembly.
