The Murtala Muhammed International Airport command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, has apprehended a pastor, Prophet Michael Raji, for drug trafficking.
Raji, a pastor of a
white garment church at the Ikotun area of Lagos, was arrested at about 12pm on
Monday while he was trying to smuggle 174 kilogrammes of narcotic drugs to
South Africa.
The agency said three
international passports bearing different names were also recovered from the
pastor.
An NDLEA team led Raji
to the church, where bags containing 91kg of Methamphetamine and 83kg of
Ephedrine with an estimated street value of N609m were recovered.
It was also learnt that
a jeep was impounded during the operation.
Punch gathered that a
preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect was a member of a wanted
drug syndicate operating in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.
The 60-year-old pastor
told investigators that he was tempted to the act by the devil.
He said, “I received
the drugs from my friend and I kept them in the church since October 2014. This
is a great temptation for me and I pray to God to overcome it.”
The NDLEA Commander at
the airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, described the suspect as a “smooth operator.”
Umar said, “The drugs
were brought to the airport for export to South Africa. Investigation
eventually traced the movement of the drugs to his church premises where he was
arrested.
“He had three
international passports bearing his photographs with the names Michael Raji and
Kadigun Ola.
“It was equally
discovered that the church premises, where he ministers, also serves as a
warehouse for narcotics.
“The seized drugs,
concealed inside large bags of foodstuffs, were found to contain 91kg of
Methamphetamine and 83kg of Ephedrine with an estimated street value of N609m.
“We also recovered a
Mercedes Benz jeep during the operation.”
The Chairman of the
agency, Ahmadu Giade, said the seizure was phenomenal and promised that the
suspect and his fleeing accomplices would be brought to book.
The NDLEA boss further
called on members of the public to continue to support the agency by providing
useful information on drug trafficking syndicates.
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