Wanted Socialite Finally Nabbed by NDLEA

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Fleeing Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Afolabi Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed) has finally been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) 10 days after he was declared wanted for offences bordering on exportation and trafficking of illicit drugs as well as money laundering.

NDLEA  had on Tuesday 1st November, declared the suspect wanted following his failure to honour NDLEA’s invitations and an order granted by a Federal High Court in Lagos, he was uncovered as the sponsor of some traffickers arrested by the anti-narcotics agency in their recent attempt to export cocaine to Dubai, UAE and other destinations outside Nigeria.

According to a statement by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, yesterday the search for the wanted socialite paid off last Thursday when he was successfully taken into custody where he is currently being interrogated.

Babafemi said his id was blown open after the arrest of one of his mules, Bolujoko Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver on 27th June at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, when he named Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, alias Adekaz as the owner of the 900 grammes of cocaine he ingested.

He said 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.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives 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 8 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a sound system while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Lahole, Pakistan via Doha on Saturday 5th November.

Babafemi also revealed that an automobile parts dealer, Omeje Oliver (a.k.a David Mark) who was arrested on Monday 31st October in Enugu where he fled to after abandoning his business at Aspanda, Trade Fair Complex Lagos since 16th of  April in connection with the seizure of 600 grammes of heroin concealed inside soles of lady’s foot wears going to Liberia, has been linked to another drug seizure.

He said a further look at the agency’s database revealed Okeke was also involved in a case of 1.580 kilogrammes Methamphetamine that was seized from one Victor Friday, who was arrested at the MMIA during his aborted trip to Jakarta, Indonesia on February 6, 2018. He added that 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.

NDLEA operatives attached to the SAHCO import shed of the MMIA Lagos have intercepted another consignment of tramadol from Karachi, Pakistan. A total of six cartons comprising 497,900 tablets of Royal Tramaking brand of tramadol 225mg with a gross weight of 304.90 kilogrammes were recovered after a joint examination by stakeholders last  Friday.

Operatives in Ogun state in the early hours of Saturday raided a warehouse at Ogere area of Ikene local government area where they seized 273 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 3,533 kilogrammes (3.533 tonnes) from a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jesutofunmi Solomon. This came on the heels of the seizure of 176 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa at Ogere trailer park last Wednesday and the destruction of 15 hectares of cannabis plantation in 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 local government area where they destroyed 1.2 hectares, recovered 2,823 kilogrammes of processed cannabis sativa and arrested 13 suspects on Sunday 6th November.

In Ondo, operatives seized 78 kilogrammes of cannabis from a dealer, Beauty Godwin at Ofosu along Benin-Ore express road, and another 264 kilogrammes 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 local government area where he was found with 1.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamine as well as monetary exhibit amounting to N650,700.00. A joint operation with the military at Habour road, Port Harcourt also led to the arrest of Sandra David and seizure of different quantities of cocaine and heroin as well as N2,055,750.00 cash exhibit from her home.

In Edo state, operatives located and destroyed 10 clusters of cannabis sativa farms measuring 14 hectares at Igwalor forest, Uhunmwonde local government area where five bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 47.7 kilogrammes were recovered, while a raid at Obadan village, in the same council also led to the recovery of 11 bags of cannabis sativa seeds weighing 399 kilogrammes and 34 bags of processed substance weighing 431 kilogrammes, bringing the total weight to 830 kilogrammes. Two suspects: Enododia Sunday and Osayaba Paul were arrested at the scene.

Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Rivers and Edo Commands of the agency for the successful operations in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), urged them and their counterparts across the country to intensify the heat on drug barons and cartels.