The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, over his alleged involvement in multiple shipments of illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria.
Olasele, who had been evading capture for months, was apprehended on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at his church located in Okun Ajah, Lekki, Lagos.
According to a statement released by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA operatives patiently waited until the conclusion of the Sunday service before arresting Olasele as he stepped out of the church premises.
The pastor reportedly fled to Ghana in June to avoid arrest after authorities linked him to two major cannabis seizures: 200 kilograms recovered at Okun Ajah Beach on June 4, and 700 kilograms found in his delivery van on July 6.
“After months of fleeing abroad to evade arrest, the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele (alias Abbas Ajakaiye), has been arrested for masterminding multiple shipments of illicit drugs into Nigeria,” the statement read.
NDLEA officers had been trailing Olasele since June, following the seizures of the cannabis strain known as “Ghana Loud” linked to him. The first seizure occurred at Okun Ajah beach, and the second involved his delivery van, where 700kg of the psychoactive substance was recovered.
In a confession, the pastor admitted to transporting the consignments through waterways from Ghana into Nigeria. Babafemi said, “He revealed that he fled to Ghana to hide after escaping arrest twice in recent months.”
In a related development, NDLEA operatives raided an apartment in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, August 7, arresting Benjamin Ukoh and recovering 32 pouches of “Canadian Loud” cannabis weighing 15.63 kilograms.
Further operations across Nigeria yielded significant drug seizures and arrests. In Nasarawa State on August 9, officers recovered 3,093 kilograms of skunk cannabis from three suspects—Emmanuel Asoquo Johnny (51), Okem Raphael (33), and Chekwube Odo (25)—in the New Karu area.
In Kano State, 29-year-old Nura Yahaya was arrested with 639 blocks of skunk weighing 359 kilograms at Geza, Kumbotso on August 8. Meanwhile, Umar Adamu Umar (27) was detained on August 6 along Zaria-Kano road with 9 kilograms of “Colorado,” a synthetic cannabis strain.
In Gombe State, a raid on an unfinished building in Tudun Wadan Pantami on August 8 led to the seizure of 550,266 opioid pills and the arrest of Usama Isah. The following day, Ibrahim Adamu (23) was apprehended along Potiskum road, Bajoga, with 50,000 tramadol capsules.
In Edo State, a Toyota Hiace bus traveling from Onitsha to Isanlu, Kogi, was intercepted at Ewu junction on August 6. The vehicle was found carrying 23,940 tramadol capsules, 1,100 tablets, and 400 pentazocine ampoules. The driver, Taiye Jethro, was arrested.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), commended the officers involved in these operations and urged personnel nationwide to maintain a balanced and effective approach to drug control enforcement.
