Wanted Lagos Pastor Nabbed for Cross-Border Drug Trafficking

NDLEA recovers 3.4 tonnes of cannabis, 645,000 opioid pills in nationwide raids

After months on the run, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele, the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, over alleged cross-border drug trafficking.

Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, was picked up on Sunday, 3rd August 2025, at his church in Okun Ajah, Lekki, Lagos. NDLEA operatives reportedly waited all day for the service to end before swooping in. He had allegedly masterminded multiple cannabis shipments ferried through Ghanaian waterways into Nigeria.

According to NDLEA, two earlier seizures linked to him  200kg on 4th June at Okun Ajah beach and 700kg on 6th July from his delivery van prompted the manhunt. Olasele allegedly fled to Ghana twice to avoid arrest.

The Lagos raid was part of a sweeping nationwide operation that netted staggering hauls of drugs:

Lagos: 15.63kg of Canadian Loud recovered in Ikoyi from suspect Benjamin Udo Ukoh.

Nasarawa: 3,093kg of skunk seized from three suspects in New Karu.

Kano: 359kg of skunk from Nura Yahaya; 9kg of Colorado from Umar Adamu Umar; 20,000 tramadol pills and diazepam injections from Usman Musa.

Gombe: Over 550,000 tramadol pills from Usama Isah; 50,000 more capsules from Ibrahim Adamu.

Edo: Interception of a bus carrying 23,940 tramadol capsules, 1,100 tablets, and 400 ampoules of pentazocine from suspect Taiye Jethro.

NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the Lagos, Nasarawa, Kano, Gombe, and Edo commands for their “dexterity and resilience,” urging continued vigilance in the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.

Alongside the arrests, NDLEA teams carried out sensitisation drives in schools, military formations, workplaces, and community groups across multiple states, stressing the importance of prevention alongside enforcement.