Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
In a major intelligence‑led operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a pastor and his wife in Lagos State after uncovering a large quantity of illegal cannabis, commonly known as skunk, hidden inside their vehicle. The arrest is part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks operating within Nigeria and across its borders.
The suspects, identified as Afolabi Hodonu, 45, a pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ in the Agonvi Sea Beach area of Seme border in Badagry, and his wife, Success Hodonu, 35, were apprehended on April 2, 2026, at the Gbaji checkpoint along a major access route into Lagos. Surveillance operations had singled out their vehicle, a Honda Pilot SUV, as suspicious. A thorough search revealed approximately 11 kilograms of compressed skunk hidden in specially modified compartments designed to evade detection at checkpoints.
NDLEA officials stated that this arrest followed intelligence from an earlier interception on March 30, 2026, when a man posing as a security agent was stopped while transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from the Seme border into Lagos. Information gathered from that operation helped officers identify patterns and connections leading to the pastor and his wife.
The NDLEA emphasized that the concealment methods used in the vehicle demonstrate increasing sophistication among traffickers. The agency is investigating whether the drugs were intended for local distribution or for export, noting that Nigeria continues to be a transit hub for cannabis and other illicit substances destined for both domestic and international markets.
The NDLEA has intensified operations in Lagos and other major urban centers, seizing drugs such as cocaine, opioids, and cannabis, while arresting multiple suspects linked to trafficking syndicates. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to tighten border controls and dismantle organized crime networks that exploit transport corridors and porous checkpoints.
Civil society groups have welcomed the arrests, stressing that enforcement should be paired with education, rehabilitation, and broader measures to address the socio‑economic factors driving drug use and trafficking. NDLEA officials have assured the public that investigations into the pastor and his wife are ongoing and that further arrests may follow as connections to wider trafficking networks are explored.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments