Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a pastor and his wife in Lagos after discovering 11 kilograms of skunk concealed in hidden compartments of their vehicle.
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The suspects, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, 45, allegedly in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border, Badagry, and his wife, Mrs Success Hodonu, 35, were apprehended on Thursday, April 2, at the Gbaji checkpoint.
A statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said a search of the couple’s Honda Pilot SUV led to the recovery of the illicit substance, carefully hidden within modified sections of the vehicle.
“The pastor in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border, Badagry in Lagos state, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, 45, and his wife, Mrs. Success Hodonu, 35, were on Thursday 2nd April arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gbaji checkpoint.
“A search of their Honda Pilot SUV led to the recovery of blocks of skunk weighing 11kg concealed in hidden parts of their vehicle, ” he said.
Babafemi said the arrest followed an earlier interception at the same checkpoint on Monday, March 30, when operatives apprehended a fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, 35, while transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from Seme border to Lagos.
He added that Investigations into the seizure reportedly led to the arrest of the cleric and his wife.
“The arrest of the couple followed the apprehension of a fake security agent Sunday Samuel, 35, at the same checkpoint on Monday 30th March while conveying 24.5kg skunk from Seme border to Lagos.
The development was part of a series of operations conducted by the anti-narcotics agency across the country within the past week,” Babafemi said.
In a related operation, he said NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in tins of palm kernel extract bound for the United Kingdom.
Babafemi added that two suspects, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested, while subsequent intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of the alleged sender, Ezemuwo Joel, and the syndicate kingpin, King Arinze, 52, in Isolo, Lagos.
“Items recovered from his warehouse included 886 tins prepared for drug concealment and tools used for packaging,” he added.
Babafemi also said operatives arrested a suspected female terrorist drug supplier in Borno State.
“In a separate but equally significant operation in Borno state, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 1st April intercepted a female drug supplier to bandit groups operating between the North East and Chad, 28-year-old Aisha Adamu.
“She was arrested along Gamboru Ngala road in possession of 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis,” he said.
According to the statement, other arrests were recorded nationwide, including the seizure of 48,000 tramadol pills in Adamawa; recovery of 1,378 kilograms of skunk from a warehouse in Edo State; and arrest of a suspected dealer in Ibadan who allegedly used her 11-year-old daughter to distribute drugs.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations, noting that the agency would continue to target traffickers regardless of status.
“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,” he said.
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