{"id":19572,"date":"2024-09-13T10:54:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T10:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=19572"},"modified":"2024-09-13T15:11:39","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T15:11:39","slug":"ndlea-arrests-notorious-drug-baron-alhaji-suleiman-ganiu-aremu-two-years-after-being-on-the-watchlist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=19572","title":{"rendered":"NDLEA Arrests Notorious Drug Baron Alhaji Suleiman Ganiu Aremu, Two Years After Being on the Watchlist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a notorious drug baron, Alhaji Suleiman Ganiu Aremu (a.k.a Barryshine), two years after he came under the agency\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">According to a statement provided by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Suleiman, the Managing Director\/CEO of Barryshine Suleiman Nigeria Ltd, was placed on the agency\u2019s watchlist due to his alleged involvement in four failed attempts to export cocaine to Saudi Arabia and Qatar through Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, between 2022 and 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Suleiman\u2019s name first surfaced on November 13, 2022, when a female passenger on a Qatar Airlines flight to Saudi Arabia, Alhaja Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, was arrested at MMIA with 400 grams of cocaine hidden inside women\u2019s footwear. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Investigations revealed that Abdullahi Olarenwaju Ramon, Suleiman\u2019s brother, hired the arrested drug courier. Further inquiries showed that Alhaji Suleiman Ganiu Aremu financed the flight tickets and other travel expenses for the suspect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19573 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cf6b177f-8d85-4c06-a039-ac578100e12c-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cf6b177f-8d85-4c06-a039-ac578100e12c-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cf6b177f-8d85-4c06-a039-ac578100e12c-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cf6b177f-8d85-4c06-a039-ac578100e12c-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cf6b177f-8d85-4c06-a039-ac578100e12c-750x500.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cf6b177f-8d85-4c06-a039-ac578100e12c.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Just days after Sidika\u2019s arrest, another drug mule, Lawal Lateef Oyenuga, was arrested on November 24, 2022, with the same amount of cocaine\u2014400 grams\u2014concealed in men\u2019s footwear, also en route to Saudi Arabia. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Oyenuga confessed that he was hired by Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan (a.k.a Teacher), who was later arrested and convicted. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Oyenuga further alleged that Wasiu Gbolahan connected him to Suleiman through an individual named Igbono, later identified through investigations as Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye (a.k.a Igbono, Murphy, Femi Iwaya, Ade Iwaya, Baba Eje, and Ejeoto).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As investigations into these cases continued and the search for Suleiman intensified, two more drug mules were arrested at MMIA on June 21, 2024, while attempting to board a flight to Doha, Qatar. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">One of the suspects, later identified as Aikhomoun Daniel (a.k.a Oladapo Olanrewaju), expelled 90 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.022 kg, which he had ingested. The second suspect, Ayigoro Waheed Omobolaji, excreted 60 wraps of cocaine, weighing a total of 662 grams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Further investigations revealed that both Aikhomoun Daniel and Ayigoro Waheed Omobolaji had been recruited by the same Igbono, who worked for Suleiman and was implicated in the 2022 arrests of Sidika and Oyenuga. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Financial investigations conducted by the NDLEA also linked Suleiman to the arrested couriers and two of his associates, Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye and Olanrewaju Abdullahi Ramon, both of whom are currently at large.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As a result, the Agency froze the bank accounts linked to members of the cartel, after which Suleiman was eventually taken into custody on August 26, 2024, for further investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In his statement, Suleiman claimed he is involved in property development and hotel management, residing in both Lagos and Paris, France. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">He also mentioned running a clothing business with his wife at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, and stated that his frequent visits to Saudi Arabia were for the purpose of performing the lesser hajj. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Suleiman added that he holds the traditional title of Akeweje of Yaba (Youth Leader of Yaba Land). Some of the properties traced to him include two houses at 63 and 72 Queens Street, Ebute-Meta, and his Barryshine Hotel at 95 Freeman Street, Yaba, Lagos.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Meanwhile, Justice Dipeolu Deinde Isaac of the Federal High Court in Lagos has granted an NDLEA application to extend Suleiman&#8217;s detention by 30 days and declared his two associates, Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye and Olanrewaju Abdullahi Ramon, both currently at large, wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ruling on the motion ex-parte in suit number: FHC\/L\/MISC\/555\/24, Justice Dipeolu stated: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8220;An order is hereby made declaring one Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye, a.k.a. &#8216;Igbono,&#8217; &#8216;Murphy,&#8217; &#8216;Femi Iwaya,&#8217; &#8216;Ade Iwaya,&#8217; &#8216;Baba Eje,&#8217; and &#8216;Ejeoto,&#8217; wanted, who is presently at large for his involvement in multiple drug trafficking activities with Suleiman Aremu Ganiu (a.k.a. Barryshine).&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The judge also ruled: \u201cAn order is hereby made declaring one Olarenwaju Ramon Abdullahi wanted, who is presently at large for his involvement in the drug trafficking activities with Suleiman Aremu Ganiu (a.k.a. Barryshine) in connection with the arrest of Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, who was apprehended at MMIA, Ikeja-Lagos, during outward clearance for a Qatar Airways flight to Saudi Arabia, with 400 grams of cocaine concealed in footwear.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Reacting to the development, NDLEA Chairman\/Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA Strategic Command for their thorough two-year investigation, which led to the conviction of three traffickers and the eventual arrest of the kingpin behind the cartel. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">He stated that this demonstrates the long arm of the law will always reach those involved in criminal activities, no matter how long it takes.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a notorious drug baron, Alhaji Suleiman Ganiu Aremu (a.k.a Barryshine), two years after he came under the agency\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8920,203,8919,8921],"class_list":["post-19572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-alhaji-suleiman-ganiu-aremu","tag-ndlea","tag-notorious-drug-baron","tag-watchlist"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19572"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19572"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19576,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19572\/revisions\/19576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}