Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos-based pastor and his wife after uncovering 11 kilograms of cannabis concealed in specially modified compartments of their vehicle.
The suspects, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, 45, and his wife, Success Hodonu, 35, were apprehended on Thursday, 2 April, at the Gbaji checkpoint in the Badagry axis of Lagos.
NDLEA officials said the couple were travelling in a Honda Pilot SUV when officers conducted a routine search that led to the discovery of the illicit substance.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the drugs were carefully hidden within altered sections of the vehicle to evade detection.
According to the NDLEA, investigations revealed that Pastor Hodonu is in charge of a branch of the Celestial Church of Christ located in the Agonvi Sea Beach area near the Seme border.
Babafemi said the arrest followed an earlier interception at the same checkpoint on Monday, 30 March, when operatives arrested a 35-year-old man, Sunday Samuel, who allegedly posed as a security agent while transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from the Seme border towards Lagos.
He explained that intelligence gathered from that seizure led investigators to the cleric and his wife, culminating in their arrest days later.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, NDLEA officers intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in tins of palm kernel extract destined for the United Kingdom (UK).
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Two suspects, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested in connection with the shipment.
Further intelligence-led raids resulted in the arrest of the alleged sender, Ezemuwo Joel, as well as the suspected syndicate leader, King Arinze, 52, in the Isolo area of Lagos.
Officers also recovered 886 tins prepared for drug concealment and various packaging tools from a warehouse linked to the network.
Elsewhere, the agency said it arrested a 28-year-old woman, Aisha Adamu, in Borno State for allegedly supplying drugs to armed groups operating across parts of the North East and neighbouring Chad.
She was intercepted along the Gamboru Ngala road with 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic cannabis strain.
The NDLEA reported additional seizures across the country during the week, including 48,000 tramadol tablets in Adamawa State, 1,378 kilograms of skunk recovered from a warehouse in Edo State, and the arrest of a suspected dealer in Ibadan accused of using her 11-year-old daughter to distribute drugs.
Commending the officers involved, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Mohamed Buba Marwa, said the agency would continue to pursue traffickers irrespective of their social standing.
He said those attempting to shield criminal activity behind religious titles, legitimate businesses or elaborate concealment methods would not be spared, as the agency intensifies efforts to disrupt drug supply networks nationwide.