The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended prominent individuals, including a Lagos socialite and a Nollywood filmmaker, for their involvement in major drug trafficking operations across Nigeria.
On January 1, 2025, NDLEA operatives stormed the Okota mansion of 61-year-old Lagos socialite Aishat Elediye, known as “Iya Ruka,” following the interception of a white Isuzu truck loaded with 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis. The truck, driven by one of her staff, Abideen Adio, was seized in Lagos. Elediye, described as the leader of a notorious drug cartel operating out of Mushin, had evaded law enforcement for years while maintaining a façade as a businesswoman importing fabrics and shoes from China.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA arrested US-trained filmmaker and motivational speaker Emeka Mbadiwe in a Lekki hotel. His arrest followed the apprehension of his associate, Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James, who was caught retrieving a shipment of 33 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 17.30 kilograms at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The shipment had arrived on December 24, 2024, concealed in wooden boxes on a Delta Airlines flight.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi highlighted the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug networks. “These arrests expose the layers of criminal enterprises hiding behind legitimate business fronts,” Babafemi said.
Further operations led to the arrest of young entrepreneurs in Ilorin producing drug-laced cupcakes for sale to students. Khadijat Abdulraheem, a 24-year-old fresh graduate, and Ayomide Morakinyo, a 20-year-old University of Ilorin student, were caught with 42 drugged cakes.
The NDLEA also rearrested an ex-convict, Sodade Eniola, for passport racketeering after serving a sentence for drug trafficking. Eniola was found smuggling passports concealed in shoe soles and food items.
In Port Harcourt, a joint operation between NDLEA and Customs intercepted 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup on December 31, 2024. Meanwhile, in Kano, over 149,090 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were seized during a raid in Dala Local Government Area.
These arrests and seizures mark significant progress in the NDLEA’s crackdown on drug cartels and criminal syndicates in Nigeria, as the agency continues its fight against the illicit drug trade.
