The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully apprehended Suleiman Aremu, also known as Barryshine, a notorious drug baron who had been evading capture for two years.
Aremu, the Managing Director/CEO of Barryshine Suleiman Nigeria Ltd, was placed on the agency’s watchlist for his alleged involvement in four failed attempts to export cocaine to Saudi Arabia and Qatar via Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, between 2022 and 2024.
The Network of The Drug Lord
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Aremu’s name first surfaced in connection with the arrest of a female passenger, Alhaja Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, on November 13, 2022, at the MMIA. Sidika was found with 400 grams of cocaine concealed inside female footwear on a Qatar Airways flight to Saudi Arabia. Further investigation revealed that Abdullahi Ramon, Aremu’s brother, had hired the arrested drug courier, and that Aremu had financed the suspect’s travel expenses.
The agency’s investigation continued to unravel a network of drug traffickers linked to Aremu. On November 24, 2022, another drug mule, Lawal Lateef Oyenuga, was arrested with 400 grams of cocaine concealed in male footwear, also heading to Saudi Arabia. Oyenuga confessed that Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan, later arrested and convicted, had hired him on behalf of Aremu. The investigation further revealed that Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye, also known as Igbono, had linked Oyenuga to Aremu.
Fast-forward to June 21, 2024, two more drug mules, Aikhomoun Daniel and Ayigoro Waheed Omobolaji, were arrested at the MMIA on their way to Doha, Qatar. Daniel expelled 90 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.022kg, while Omobolaji excreted 60 wraps of cocaine, totaling 662 grams. The investigation showed that both couriers were recruited by Igbono, who worked for Aremu and had been involved in the 2022 arrests.
NDLEA Wins The Battle
The agency’s financial investigation linked Aremu to the arrested suspects and his associates, Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye and Olanrewaju Abdullahi Ramon, who are currently at large. Consequently, the agency blocked bank accounts linked to the cartel, leading to Aremu’s eventual arrest on August 26, 2024.
During his detention, Aremu claimed to be involved in property development and hotel management, residing in Lagos and Paris, France. He also stated that he runs a clothing business with his wife at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, and frequently visits Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj pilgrimage. Aremu holds the traditional title of Akeweje of Yaba (Youth Leader of Yaba Land).
The agency has traced some of Aremu’s properties, including two houses at 63 and 72 Queens Street, Ebute-Meta, and his Barryshine hotel at 95 Freeman Street, Yaba, Lagos. Justice Dipeolu Isaac of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has granted the NDLEA’s application to extend Aremu’s detention for 30 days and declare his two associates, Oluwafemi Akande Abidoye and Olanrewaju Abdullahi Ramon, wanted.
