The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested fleeing Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Ademola Kazeem, over offences bordering on exportation, trafficking of illicit drugs and money laundering.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Babafemi said the arrest of the suspect, also known as Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem, was made 10 days after he was declared wanted by the agency on November 1.

The suspect was declared wanted following his failure to honour NDLEA invitations and an order granted by the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Mr Babafemi also said the wanted 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, the United Arab Emirates, and other destinations outside Nigeria.

He added that the search for him, however, paid off on Thursday, November 10, when he was successfully taken into custody, where he is currently being interviewed.

According to Mr Babafemi, his lid was blown open after the arrest of one of his mules, Bolujoko Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver, on June 27 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

“Babalola named Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, alias Adekaz, as the owner of the 900 grams 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.

This includes “attach and seal his identified properties in choice areas of Lagos island and Ibadan.

“Also to 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,” he said.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives also arrested a businesswoman, Chisom Okefun, over her links with two Pakistanis, Asif Muhammed, 45, and Hussain Naveed, 57.

Mr Babafemi said the suspects were arrested at the Lagos airport with eight kilograms of cocaine concealed in a sound system while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Lahore, Pakistan, via Doha on Saturday, November 5. 

(NAN)