NDLEA Arrests High-Profile Suspects in Major Drug Operations
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded significant breakthroughs in its ongoing war against drug trafficking.
A series of arrests made in December 2024 and January 2025 have exposed key players in the illicit drug trade, including a prominent Lagos socialite and a Nollywood filmmaker.
On January 1, 2025, NDLEA operatives apprehended 61-year-old Aishat Elediye, a wanted drug kingpin and Lagos socialite, in her mansion located in Okota, Lagos.
Known in the underworld as “Iya Ruka” and in social circles as “Alhaja Ajoke,” she had evaded capture for years. Elediye’s arrest followed the interception of a white Isuzu truck loaded with 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis.
The vehicle, operated by one of her staff members, Abideen Adio, 41, was stopped based on intelligence reports.
While presenting herself as a businesswoman importing fabrics and shoes from China, Elediye allegedly spearheaded a massive drug cartel operating from Mushin, Lagos.
She also holds the title of “Iyalaje of Blessing Sisters,” an influential women’s club in Lagos.
On December 27, 2024, NDLEA officers arrested Emeka Mbadiwe, a US-trained filmmaker and motivational speaker, at his hotel room in Lekki, Lagos.
The arrest occurred after his associate, Uzoekwe James, was detained at a warehouse in Ajao Estate. James had been tasked with retrieving 33 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 17.3 kilograms.
The shipment had arrived from the United States on a Delta Airlines flight on December 24, 2024.
In another case, NDLEA operatives in Kwara State arrested two young individuals on December 29, 2024, for producing and distributing drug-laced cupcakes.
Khadijat Abdulraheem, a 24-year-old fresh graduate, and Ayomide Morakinyo, a 20-year-old student of the University of Ilorin, were apprehended at their apartment in Ilorin.
A search yielded 42 drug-laced cupcakes intended for sale within the student community.
Sodade Sunday Eniola, an ex-convict previously sentenced to four years for drug trafficking, was arrested again in December 2024 for passport racketeering.
NDLEA officers at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted 52 passports concealed in shoe soles and food items destined for Canada, Russia, and other countries.
Further investigations led to the arrest of four syndicate members involved in the scheme.
On December 31, 2024, NDLEA officers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State seized 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in two containers.
The operation, conducted in collaboration with Nigeria Customs and other security agencies, was based on credible intelligence.
The NDLEA has reaffirmed its commitment to combating drug-related crimes and ensuring the safety of Nigerian communities.
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