Drugs: NDLEA nabs wanted Lagos hotelier
Ten days after he was declared wanted, officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested fleeing Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Ademola Kazeem, over alleged offences bordering on exportation and trafficking of illicit drugs as well as money laundering.
The anti-narcotics agency had, on Tuesday, November 1, declared the suspect wanted following his failure to honour its invitations and an order granted by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the wanted drug kingpin was uncovered as the sponsor of some traffickers arrested by the anti-narcotics agency in their recent attempt to export cocaine to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and other destinations outside Nigeria.
He said, “The search for him, however, paid off on Thursday, November 10, when he was successfully taken into custody where he is currently being interviewed.
“His lid was blown open after the arrest of one of his mules, a Lagos BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) driver, Bolujoko Babalola, on June 27 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, when he named Ademola Kazeem as the owner of the 900 grams of cocaine he ingested.
“Following Adekaz’s failure to honour invitations sent to him, the agency approached a Federal High Court in Lagos with three prayers: to attach and seal his identified properties in choice areas of Lagos Island and Ibadan; declare him wanted and block his bank account with a cash balance of N217 million, all of which were granted.”
Babafemi stated further that in a related development, the NDLEA officials also arrested a businesswoman, Okefun Chisom, over her links with two Pakistanis: Asif Muhammed, 45, and Hussain Naveed, 57, arrested at the Lagos airport with eight kilograms of cocaine concealed in a sound system while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Lahole, Pakistan via Doha on Saturday, November 5.
He added, “An automobile parts dealer, Omeje Oliver, who was arrested on Monday, October 31, in Enugu where he fled to after abandoning his business at Aspanda, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos since April 16, in connection with the seizure of 600 grams of heroin concealed inside the soles of ladies’ footwears going to Liberia, has been linked to another drug seizure.
“A further look at the agency’s database reveals that Omeje was also involved in a case of 1.580kg Methamphetamine that was seized from one Victor Nwobodo, who was arrested at the MMIA during his aborted trip to Jakarta, Indonesia on February 6, 2018. Charges have been filed against the suspect at the Federal High Court, Lagos, in respect of the old seizure in addition to that of the recent one.”
He also noted that the NDLEA officials attached to the SAHCO import shed of the MMIA, Lagos, had intercepted another consignment of Tramadol from Karachi, Pakistan.
He said, “A total of six cartons comprising 497,900 tablets of Royal Tramaking brand of Tramadol 225mg with a gross weight of 304.90 kilograms were recovered after a joint examination by stakeholders on Friday, November 11.
“Operatives in Ogun State in the early hours of Saturday, November 12, raided a warehouse at the Ogere area of Ikene LGA where they seized 273 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 3,533 kilograms from a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jesutofunmi Solomon.
“This came on the heels of the seizure of 176kgs of cannabis sativa at Ogere trailer park on Wednesday, November 9, and the destruction of 15 hectares of cannabis plantation in the Gbamgbam area of the state.
“In the same vein, operatives in Osun State have raided a cannabis plantation at Obada sawmill, Owena Ijesa in Oriade LGA where they destroyed 1.2 hectares, recovered 2,823kgs of processed cannabis sativa and arrested 13 suspects on Sunday, November 6.
“In Ondo, operatives seized 78kgs of cannabis sativa from a dealer, Beauty Godwin, at Ofosu along Benin-Ore Expressway, and another 264kgs from Abdul-Rasheed Mohammed, and Abdul-Rasheed Haruna at Sanusi camp 2 in Owo, while in Rivers State, anti-narcotics officers of the agency arrested Damion Onuoha during a raid at Elele Alimini community, Emuoha LGA, where he was found with 1.6kgs of Methamphetamine as well as monetary exhibit amounting to N650,700.00.”
According to Babafemi, a joint operation with the military at Habour Road, Port Harcourt City also led to the arrest of Sandra David and seizure of different quantities of cocaine and heroin as well as N2,055,750 million cash exhibit from her home.
He further stated that in Edo State, the NDLEA officials located and destroyed 10 clusters of cannabis sativa farms measuring 14 hectares at Igwalor forest, Uhunmwonde LGA, where five bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 47.7kgs were recovered.
He added, “Meanwhile, a raid at Obadan village in the same LGA also led to the recovery of 11 bags of cannabis sativa seeds weighing 399kgs and 34 bags of processed substance weighing 431kgs, bringing the total weight to 830kgs. Two suspects: Enododia Sunday and Osayaba Paul were arrested at the scene.”
(Punch)
