The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday, November 1, declared hotelier, the owner of Adekaz Hotels, Ademola Kazeem, wanted over alleged drug trafficking and money laundering.
The agency claimed the hotelier didn’t honour their invitation for questioning hence the wabted notice.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, stated that the notice is as a result of an order from a Federal High Court in Lagos which was held on October 17, 2022.
Charges on the hotelier include drug trafficking and alleged money laundering.
Ademola was allegedly fingered after an arrest of some drug traffickers were made.
The drug traffickers were trying to export cocaine to the United Arab Emirates and other places before they were caught.
An excerpt of the statement read, “The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has declared wanted Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Afolabi Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed) over offences bordering on exportation and trafficking of illicit drugs as well as money laundering.
“The decision to declare the suspect wanted followed his failure to honour NDLEA invitations and an order granted the Agency by a Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday 17th October 2022. The wanted drug kingpin was uncovered as the sponsor of some traffickers arrested by the anti-narcotics agency in their recent attempt to export cocaine to Dubai, UAE and other destinations outside Nigeria.
“Soon after the arrest of one of his mules, Bolujoko Muyiwa Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver, on 27th June at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Alhaji Ademola Kazeem who is also the Chairman of Adekaz Global Integrated Services, went underground.
“Following his failure to honour invitations sent to him, the Agency approached a Federal High Court in Lagos with three prayers: to attach and seal his identified properties in Lagos and Ibadan; declare him wanted and block his bank account with a cash balance of Two Hundred and Seventeen Million Naira (N217,000,000.00), all of which were granted.
“As a result, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 26th October 2022 sealed six of the identified properties located on Lagos Island. They include: 105 Tokunbo street off Broad street, Lagos Island; 1 Abibu Oki street off Marina, Lagos Island; 3 Abibu Oki street off Marina, Lagos Island; 54 Palm Church street, Lagos Island; 26 Agarawu street, Lagos Island; and 41 Foresythe street, Lagos Island. The other one is located at 1 Irepodun zone, Adepoju bus stop, Ajoda Ayedun, Ibadan, Oyo state.”
The NDLEA stated all properties owned by the hotelier have been sealed and his money (217 million) frozen in his banks. Six of his properties are in Lagos and one in Ibadan, Oyo state. They listed the hotels and other properties owned by the wanted individual.
