The Founder and General Overseer of the Seraphic and Sabbath Assembly in Lagos, High Priest Azuka Kenrick Nnodu, a student at the Emmanuel College of Theology in Samanta, Ibadan, Udezuka Udoka, and their freight agent, Oyoyo Mary Obasi, have all been detained by agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to export methamphetamine and skunk consignments.
Following the arrest of two suspects, Oyoyo Mary Obasi and Udoka recently at the Lagos airport in connection with the seizure of 283 parcels of skunk weighing 14.90 kilograms and 204 grams of methamphetamine hidden in four 25-liter kegs of palm oil intended for export to Dubai, the General Overseer Nnodu was detained on Saturday, 11 February, 2023.
Nnodu, and his son, Chisom Obi, who is currently at large, were named in Obasi’s declaration as the individuals who gave her the consignments for export after she was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement and offer a chicken sacrifice in the church while the general overseer prayed for the success of the transaction.
When Obasi revealed how she was hired by her church's GO, she claimed that the clergyman and his son threatened her to accept the position after they realised she knew their trade secrets. Obasi also claimed that High Priest Nnodu constantly referred to illegal drugs in their phone text messages as “Ice” and “Bible,” which are street names for methamphetamine and cannabis, respectively. Udoka, a theology student, was recommended to Obasi since she was new to the illegal business and needed help. He said he was given N2 million for the task and was forced to take it because he needed the money for his study.
Another attempt by Monday Innocent Nnamaru, a Dubai returnee, to send a consignment of skunk and tramadol 225mg to the UAE was also unsuccessful as a result of his arrest at the Trade Fair complex in Lagos' Ojo neighbourhood, the agency revealed. On February 7th, he had gone there with his friend Nwanana Emmanuel Ikechukwu to take the cargo to a freight company to process it for export.
According to the statement from the NDLEA, “Another attempt to send a consignment of skunk and tramadol 225mg to the UAE by a Dubai-returnee, Nnamani Monday Innocent was also frustrated following his arrest at Trade Fair complex in Ojo area of Lagos, where he had gone in company of his friend Nwanana Emmanuel Ikechukwu with the cargo to a freight company to process the consignment for export on Tuesday 7 February.”
Reacting to the efforts of his men, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) praised the officers, men and women of the MMIA, Cross River, Kano, and Lagos commands for their dedication and professionalism towards ridding Nigeria of the menace of illicit drugs in response to the arrests and seizures of the previous week.
He said that all NDLEA personnel across the nation are being urged to continue relentlessly in pursuing the corporate objective of the agency, as they will continue to target any individual or organisation engaged in the illicit trade without showing favour or fear.
