Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos-based cleric, Afolabi Hodonu, 45, and his wife, Success Hodonu, 35, who run a church in the Agonvi Sea Beach area of Sakpo, Seme Border.
The couple was detained on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at the Gbaji checkpoint after NDLEA officers discovered 11 kilograms of skunk hidden inside their Honda Pilot SUV.
Their arrest followed the earlier capture of a fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, 35, on Monday, March 30, at the same checkpoint, who was transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from Seme border to Lagos.
The arrests are part of a three-week operation that dismantled a major drug trafficking syndicate. During the operation, cocaine hidden in tins of palm kernel extract was intercepted, and the warehouse used for packaging the shipments was raided.
The investigation began on Wednesday, March 11, when NDLEA officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, seized 3.10 kilograms of cocaine hidden in palm kernel extract tins bound for the United Kingdom. Two suspects, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested immediately.
Further operations led to the arrest of Ezemuwo Joel, who operated under the false identity of Ajayi, linking authorities to the syndicate’s head, 52-year-old King Arinze. NDLEA recovered 886 tins prepared for concealing cocaine, industrial tools, cannabis, and other equipment at Arinze’s warehouse in Isolo, Lagos. Arinze confessed to draining the oil from the tins to hide the drugs.
In separate operations across the country:
In Borno State, NDLEA arrested 28-year-old Aisha Adamu with 4.3 kilograms of colorado cannabis, allegedly supplying bandit groups along the Nigeria-Chad corridor.
In Adamawa State, a trailer carrying 48,000 tramadol pills was seized along Namtari Road, Yola South; driver Abdulaziz Ismail Korede and recipient Idris Adamu were arrested.
In Osun State, 60-year-old Idiatu Oladejo was detained with 15 kilograms of skunk in Isale Osun.
In Ondo State, Itaogbolu Forest was raided, yielding 351 kilograms of skunk and seeds.
In Benue State, 66-year-old Aminu Usman Gembu was arrested with 28,600 tramadol capsules in Aliade.
In Edo State, Roland Owie, 37, was caught with 1,378 kilograms of skunk in Orhionmwon Local Council.
In Oyo State, notorious drug dealer 40-year-old Ayantola Omodunmomi, also known as Iya Elle, was arrested in Ibadan; 45.6 kilograms of skunk were recovered from her warehouse, and she had been using her 11-year-old daughter to deliver drugs.
Alongside enforcement, NDLEA continued its drug abuse prevention and sensitization programs, reaching students and staff in schools across Oyo, Lagos, Kano, Anambra, and Zamfara States.
Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised officers for their recent operations, highlighting the agency’s intelligence capabilities and commitment to dismantling drug supply networks. He emphasized that attempts to hide illicit activities behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or complex concealment methods would not succeed.
