The General Overseer of Seraphic and Sabbath Assembly, Lagos, High Priest Nnodu Azuka Kenrick, a student of Emmanuel College of Theology, Samanda, Ibadan, Oyo State, Udezuka Udoka and a freight agent, Oyoyo Mary Obasi have been nabbed by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Their arrest was over an attempt to export methamphetamine and skunk consignments concealed in kegs of palm oil to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
On Sunday, the Spokesman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, announced that High Priest Kenrick was taken into custody on February 11, 2023 at his place of worship, the Seraphic and Sabbath Assembly located at 1 Sabbath Close in Ijesha.
This arrest came after the apprehension of Oyoyo Mary Obasi and Udezuka Udoka on February 9 at the Lagos airport, in connection with the discovery of 283 packages of skunk weighing 14.90 kilograms and 204 grams of methamphetamine that were concealed in four 25-litre containers of palm oil.
Babafemi said, “In her statement, Mary indicted the general overseer of her new-found church, Kenrick, and his son, Chisom Obi, who is now at large, as the persons that gave her the consignment for export after being compelled to take an oath of secrecy, as well as a sacrifice of chicken in the church, while the high priest prayed for the success of the transaction.”
According to him, Mary said the cleric and his son compelled her to take the job after they knew she had known their secret, adding that the high priest was always referring to the illicit drugs as “ice and bible” (street names for methamphetamine and cannabis) in their SMS chats.
Additionally, the spokesman stated that the theology student, Udezuka, was brought in to aid Mary as she was a newcomer to the illegal activity. According to Udezuka, he was paid N2 million Naira for his involvement and felt compelled to participate due to the need for financial support for his education.
