Ademola Afolabi, Wanted Drug Baron Arrested

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, have arrested fleeing Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Afolabi Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed) over offences bordering on exportation and trafficking of illicit drugs as well as money laundering.

It would be recalled that the agency had earlier declared the suspect wanted, following his failure to honour NDLEA invitations and an order granted by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

In a statement by the Director, of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi said the suspect 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, UAE and other destinations outside Nigeria.

“The search for him however paid off on Thursday 10th Nov 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, Bolujoko Muyiwa Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver on 27th June at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, when he named Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, alias Adekaz as the owner of the 900grams 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 Two Hundred and Seventeen Million Naira (N217,000,000.00), all of which were granted.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives also arrested a businesswoman, Okefun Darlington 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 Nov.

Mr Babafemi said an automobile parts dealer, Omeje Oliver (a.k.a David Mark) was arrested on Monday 31st October in Enugu where he fled after abandoning his business at Aspanda, Trade Fair Complex Lagos on 16th April in connection with the seizure of 600 grams of heroin concealed inside soles of ladies footwears going to Liberia, has been linked to another drug seizure.

He further explained that the Agency’s database reveals Omeje was also involved in a case of 1.580kg Methamphetamine that was seized from one Victor Nwobodo Friday, who was arrested at the MMIA during his aborted trip to Jakarta, Indonesia on February 6, 2018.

He, however, said 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.