The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, the founder of The Turn of Mercy Church, over allegations of smuggling large quantities of cannabis from Ghana into Nigeria.

According to NDLEA officials, the 50-year-old cleric was picked up on Sunday, August 3, right after delivering a sermon at his church in Okun Ajah, Lekki. Operatives had been keeping the area under watch for hours before moving in as he stepped out of the building.

The agency revealed that the pastor had been on the run for weeks, fleeing to Ghana after two major seizures of cannabis linked to him. On June 4, officers intercepted 200 kilograms of the substance at Okun Ajah beach. Another 700 kilograms were seized on July 6 from a delivery van said to be working for him.

Investigators say he confessed to using waterways to move the drugs from Ghana into Lagos. He also admitted that he escaped arrest on two earlier occasions before finally being caught this month.

In Lagos, another suspect, Benjamin Udo Ukoh, was found with over 15 kilograms of imported “Canadian Loud” cannabis. In Nasarawa, operatives seized more than 3,000 kilograms of skunk from three people. Kano operations uncovered hundreds of kilograms of drugs, along with tramadol pills and injection ampoules.

NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for the coordinated raids and urged them to sustain their momentum. He stressed that enforcement must go hand-in-hand with public education to tackle the country’s drug problem.