Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a pastor and his wife in Lagos after 11 kilograms of skunk were discovered concealed in their vehicle.
The suspects, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, 45, said to be in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border, Badagry, and his wife, Success Hodonu, 35, were apprehended on Thursday, April 2, at the Gbaji checkpoint.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that a search of their Honda Pilot SUV led to the recovery of the illicit substance hidden in modified compartments of the vehicle.
He explained that the arrest followed an earlier interception at the same checkpoint on March 30, when operatives nabbed a fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, 35, with 24.5kg of skunk being transported from Seme border to Lagos.
According to Babafemi, investigations into the earlier seizure led to the arrest of the cleric and his wife, adding that the operation was part of a series of nationwide raids conducted by the agency within the past week.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in tins of palm kernel extract bound for the United Kingdom.
Two suspects, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested in connection with the seizure, while further intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of the alleged sender, Ezemuwo Joel, and a suspected syndicate leader, King Arinze, 52, in Isolo, Lagos.
Items recovered from the suspect’s warehouse include 886 tins prepared for drug concealment as well as packaging tools.
Babafemi also disclosed that NDLEA operatives in Borno State arrested a 28-year-old woman, Aisha Adamu, alleged to be a drug supplier to bandit groups operating between the North-East and Chad.
She was arrested along the Gamboru Ngala road with 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
The agency further recorded seizures and arrests across the country, including 48,000 tramadol pills in Adamawa State, recovery of 1,378kg of skunk from a warehouse in Edo State, and the arrest of a suspected dealer in Ibadan who allegedly used her 11-year-old daughter to distribute drugs.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives for the successful operations, reiterating the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks.
He said the agency would continue to target offenders regardless of status, stressing that traffickers would not escape justice irrespective of the methods used to conceal illicit drugs.
