NDLEA Arrests Drug Baron “Barryshine” After Two-Year Manhunt
By Innocent Eneta,
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Alhaji Suleiman Ganiu Aremu, popularly known as “Barryshine,” a notorious drug kingpin allegedly behind four failed attempts to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The arrest comes after a two-year-long surveillance and investigation by the NDLEA.
Aremu, the Managing Director of Barryshine Suleiman Nigeria Ltd, had been on the agency’s watchlist since 2022 for his role in organizing cocaine shipments through Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. The NDLEA finally arrested him on August 26, 2024, marking a significant breakthrough in their efforts to dismantle the drug cartel.
The Investigation
The NDLEA’s investigation into Aremu’s cartel began on November 13, 2022, when a female drug courier, Alhaja Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, was arrested at MMIA while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Saudi Arabia. She was caught with 400 grams of cocaine hidden in female footwear. Further investigations revealed that Sidika had been hired by Aremu’s brother, Abdullahi Olarenwaju Ramon, with Aremu himself financing the trip.
Just days after Sidika’s arrest, another mule, Lawal Lateef Oyenuga, was apprehended on November 24, 2022, also attempting to smuggle 400 grams of cocaine to Saudi Arabia. Oyenuga confessed that he was recruited by a man named Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan, also known as “Teacher,” who worked for Aremu. Gbolahan was later arrested, convicted, and jailed for his role in the drug trade.
The NDLEA uncovered that both couriers, Sidika and Oyenuga, had been working for Aremu’s cartel. Investigations continued over the next two years, leading to additional arrests, including two drug mules caught at MMIA on June 21, 2024, en route to Doha, Qatar. One of the suspects, Aikhomoun Daniel, expelled 90 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.022 kilograms, while the other, Ayigoro Waheed Omobolaji, excreted 60 wraps of cocaine weighing 662 grams. Both mules were traced back to Aremu’s cartel.
Barryshine’s Arrest and Confession
Following a financial investigation, NDLEA operatives linked Aremu directly to the drug mules and key associates responsible for recruiting them. This eventually led to the freezing of bank accounts connected to the cartel. After two years on the run, Aremu was finally taken into custody.
In his statement, Aremu claimed he was involved in legitimate business ventures, including property development, hotel management, and trading in clothing with his wife at Balogun market, Lagos. He admitted to traveling frequently to Saudi Arabia but maintained that his trips were for religious purposes, specifically to perform the lesser Hajj.
However, NDLEA investigators linked Aremu to various properties, including two houses at Queens Street, Ebute-Meta, and a hotel located at 95 Freeman Street, Yaba, Lagos. Authorities suspect that these properties were funded through his drug trafficking operations.
Court Proceedings and Further Developments
Justice Dipeolu Deinde Isaac of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has granted the NDLEA’s request to extend Aremu’s detention for 30 days. In the same ruling, the court declared two of Aremu’s associates—Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye, known by multiple aliases including “Igbono,” and Abdullahi Olarenwaju Ramon—wanted for their involvement in the cartel’s drug trafficking operations.
In a statement regarding the case, NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the MMIA command for their dedication and hard work. “This painstaking two-year investigation and the eventual arrest of the kingpin behind the cartel show that the long arm of the law will always get whoever is involved in the criminal trade, no matter how long it takes,” Marwa said.
A Wake-Up Call for Nigeria’s Drug Trade
The arrest of Barryshine is a major victory in the NDLEA’s ongoing war against drug trafficking in Nigeria. It exposes the intricate and highly organized networks that drug barons use to export narcotics from Nigeria to other countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While Aremu’s arrest is a significant blow to the cartel, authorities remain vigilant as they search for the remaining members of the operation.
The case also serves as a reminder of the global reach of Nigeria’s drug trade and the lengths to which traffickers will go in their attempts to smuggle illicit substances. With the NDLEA’s continued efforts, it is hoped that more drug cartels will be dismantled, bringing an end to this dangerous trade that jeopardizes countless lives both within and outside Nigeria.
