Ex-council vice-chair held for drugs

Officials of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected drug baron and former vice chairman of Lagos Island East local council development area Asekun Kehinde Sakiru.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said in a statement yesterday that Sakiru was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Sakiru was allegedly arrested with a kilogramme of cocaine while trying to leave the country.

N131 million was seized from the suspect’s account and another N14 million blocked in the account of one of his alleged traffickers Azeez Adeniyi Ibrahim, totaling N145 million, the statement said.

Babafemi said Sakiru has been on the wanted list of the Agency following the recent arrest of some traffickers and drug seizures linked to him.

The statement reads, “The long arm of the law caught up with the wanted baron at about 9.40pm on Friday 7th May, 2021 while trying to board a Virgin Atlantic airline flight to London, United Kingdom at the Lagos airport.

“At the point of his arrest, Sakiru was caught with a kilogramme of cocaine concealed in five pairs of palm slippers packed inside his suitcase. He has been on the wanted list of the MMIA Command of the Agency in connection to a case involving one Azeez Adeniyi Ibrahim who was arrested with 6.45kg of cocaine in December, 2020.

“During preliminary investigation, it was gathered that the London-based baron is a seasoned politician. He was at different times between 2004 and 2014 the vice chairman of Lagos Island East LCDA. He had also contested and lost elections for House of Representatives in 2007 and Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015.

“Although, he claims to be an international businessman who deals in automobiles, investigation is yet to confirm that to be the source of his acquired wealth. In the course of tracking him, the sum of N131 million was seized from his account and another N14 million also blocked in the account of one of his traffickers, Azeez Adeniyi Ibrahim, bringing the total sum so far recovered from him to N145 million.”

credit: nation

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