NDLEA declares suspected Lagos drug baron wanted
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has declared wanted a Lagos socialite, and blocked his bank account with a cash balance of N217m.
The Director Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the suspect, owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, was arrested over offences bordering on exportation and trafficking of illicit drugs, as well as money laundering.
He said that the decision to declare Kazeem wanted followed his failure to honour NDLEA’s invitations, and an order granted the Agency by a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday Oct. 17, 2022.
According to him, the suspect is being fingered as the alleged 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.
“Soon after the arrest of one of his mules, Bolujoko Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver on June 27, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Kazeem, who is also the Chairman of Adekaz Global Integrated Services, went underground.
“Following his 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 Lagos and Ibadan.
“Also, to declare him wanted; and block his bank account with a cash balance of N217,000,000.00, all of which were granted.
“As a result, NDLEA operatives on Oct. 26, sealed six of the identified properties located on Lagos Island,” Babafemi said in the statement.
They include 105, Tokunbo st., off Broad St.; 1, Abibu Oki st., off Marina; 3, Abibu Oki st., off Marina; 54, Palm Church St.; 26, Agarawu St.; and 41, Foresythe St., all on Lagos Island.
While another property, located at 1, Irepodun zone, Adepoju Bus Stop, Ajoda Ayedun, Ibadan, was also sealed.
Similarly, the NDLEA, on Oct. 28, arrested another alleged drug baron, Udemezue William, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, (NAIA), Abuja, on his return from Brazil.
Babafemi said that Udemezue’s arrest, with the support of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), followed the earlier arrest of some drug couriers allegedly linked to him as their sponsor.
He said this included two alleged mules, Messrs Adolphus Anayochukwu Okeke and Anayo Michael Nnanna.
Babafemi said that Okeke, 52, and father of four, who claimed to be a businessman, was arrested at the NAIA, by NDLEA operatives allegedly with 20.75 kilogrammes of black liquid cocaine.
He said that the suspect was arrested on March 15, on his arrival onboard a Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, through Doha, Qatar to Abuja.
According to Babafemi, the liquid was discovered in the course of a search of his luggage, stuffed with six smaller bags containing 32-makeup mascara, which tested positive to cocaine.
“On the other hand, Nnanna, 39, and a Brazilian returnee, was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
“This happened during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Doha to Port Harcourt on March 29.
“Nnanna was arrested with 73 sachets weighing 8.15 kilogrammes of cocaine, which is the largest seizure of such at the airport since it began international flight operations years ago,” he said
Babafemi said that further investigations of the two traffickers revealed Udemeze was the drug baron behind the cocaine cartel.
“As a result, he was watch-listed and arrested upon his return from Brazil on Oct. 28,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of the agency involved in the clinical investigation that led to the unmasking of the two alleged barons.
Marwa said gone were the days when drug kingpins could hide behind traffickers and remain faceless.
He warned that the new NDLEA would continue to unravel them one after the other if they failed to back out of the criminal trade. (NAN)
