Founder and General Overseer (GO) of Seraphic and Sabbath Assembly, Lagos, High Priest Nnodu Azuka Kenrick, has been arrested for an attempt to export methamphetamine and skunk consignments to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
He was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), along with a student of Emmanuel College of Theology, Samanda, Ibadan, Udezuka Udoka and their freight agent, Oyoyo Mary Obasi.
This was as the anti-narcotics agency intercepted 1,430kgs cannabis in an LNG truck, recovered 13 motorcycles in Cross River State and seized 1.10kgs crystal meth in carton walls going to London.
The General Overseer and his accomplices were caught with the illicit drugs concealed in kegs of palm oil at the NAHCO Export Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
General Overseer Nnodu was arrested on Saturday at his Seraphic and Sabbath Assembly Church at No 1, Sabbath Close, Ijesha area of Lagos.
His arrest followed the arrest of the two other suspects, Udezuka Udoka and Oyoyo Mary Obasi, last Thursday at the Lagos Airport.
The duo were arrested in connection with the seizure of 283 parcels of skunk weighing 14.90 kilograms and 204 grams of methamphetamine concealed in four 25-litre kegs of palm oil for export to Dubai.
These disclosed were contained in a press release by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
In her statement, Mary indicted the General Overseer of her new church, Nnodu, and his son, Chisom Obi, who is now at large.
She said the father and son were the persons who gave her the consignments for export after being compelled to take an oath of secrecy as well as a sacrifice of chicken in the church, while High Priest Nnodu prayed for her for the success of the transaction.
Spilling the beans on how her church’s General Overseer recruited her, Mary said the High Priest and his son threatened and compelled her to take the job after they knew she had known their secrets.
Mary added that General Overseer Nnodu was always referring to the illicit drugs as Ice and Bible, (street names for methamphetamine and cannabis) in their telephone text message chats.
As contained in the release, the theology student, Udezuka, was introduced to Mary to assist her because she was new in the illicit business.
Udezuka said he was paid N2million for his role and had to do it because he needed the money for his education, Babafemi stated.
Another attempt to send a consignment of skunk and tramadol 225mg to the UAE by a Dubai-returnee, Nnamani Monday Innocent, was also frustrated by the NDLEA.
He was arrested at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo area of Lagos, where he had gone in the company of his friend, Nwanana Emmanuel Ikechukwu, with the cargo to a freight company to process the consignment for export, last Tuesday.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives attached to the SAHCO Export Shed of the Lagos Airport, same day, intercepted a cargo going to London, United Kingdom.
“In the consignment containing food items packed in a carton, the four walls of the carton were used to conceal 1.10 kilograms of methamphetamine.
“The freight agent, Agholor Emmanuel, who presented the cargo for export, was immediately arrested,” Babafemi stated.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives, last Tuesday, intercepted a consignment of 1,340 kilograms of cannabis sativa coming from Ogbese, Ondo State.
The consignment was concealed in a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) truck going to Okurikang Okoyong in the Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
“Following credible intelligence, the movement was monitored for three weeks and upon arrival, 130 bags of cannabis weighing 1.430 tons were recovered from the LNG truck and 13 motorcycles which the cartel hired to convey the consignment deep into the forest,” the release added.
In Kano, four suspects: Ado Shuaibu; Yahaya Shuaibu; Mamman Sani and Umar Musa Yakubu were arrested in connection with the seizure of 229 blocks of skunk weighing 131.1kgs.
While Umar was arrested last Tuesday at Tumfafi village, Kano, the trio of Ado, Yahaya and Mamman were nabbed last Saturday at Garin Balarabe, Maigatari, Jigawa State in a follow-up operation.
Another suspect, Aisha Muhammad, was arrested in the Koki area of Kano with 17kgs of cannabis, it was disclosed in the release.
No fewer than four members of a syndicate using dispatch motorcycles to distribute illicit drugs in the Lekki Area of Lagos were arrested on Sunday, 5 February.
The suspects included Tijani Oladapo Hakeem; Eric Maku; Ahmed Jubril Olamide and Adobi Fortune Chris.
At the time of their arrest, 1.88kgs of Loud and assorted paraphernalia were recovered from them, Babafemi stated.
He disclosed that 79.1 kg of skunks were seized by NDLEA operatives during a raid in the Patey Area of Lagos Island last Tuesday.
The NDLEA Director of Media also stated that a total of 2,370.06 kilograms of cannabis and two boats seized at a jetty in Lagos by men of the Civil Defence Corps were handed over to the Lagos Command of the agency.
Reacting to the arrests and seizures of the past week, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended the officers, men and women of the MMIA, Cross River, Kano and Lagos commands for their commitment and professionalism towards ridding Nigeria of the menace of illicit drugs.
He said the agency will continue to target anyone or group involved in the criminal trade without fear or favour.
Marwa urged all NDLEA officers across the country to remain unrelenting in the pursuit of the agency’s corporate goal.
