NDLEA Arrests Wanted Lagos Socialite, Nollywood Filmmaker Over Illicit Drug Shipments
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) started the new year by arresting a notorious drug kingpin, Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye, a 61-year-old Lagos socialite, on January 1, 2025. Known in the underworld as ‘Iya Ruka,’ Ajoke was apprehended in her mansion at Okota, Lagos, following the interception of a truckload of illicit drugs linked to her.
Ajoke, who had been evading arrest for years, ran a drug cartel operating out of the Mushin area of Lagos. The NDLEA’s operation was triggered by intelligence that led to the interception of a white Isuzu truck carrying 44 jumbo sacks of imported cannabis weighing 1,540 kilograms. The truck was driven by one of her staff, 41-year-old Abideen Adio.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that Alhaja Ajoke, while presenting herself as a businesswoman importing fabrics and shoes from China, was deeply involved in illicit drug trafficking. She is also known as the Iyalaje of the Blessing Sisters, a prominent club of influential women in Lagos. The arrest of Alhaja Ajoke is a significant breakthrough in the agency’s efforts to dismantle drug cartels operating in the state.
In another major operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Emeka Emmanuel Mbadiwe, a US-trained Nollywood filmmaker and motivational speaker, on December 27, 2024. Mbadiwe was apprehended in his Lekki hotel room following the earlier arrest of his partner, Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James. James had been collecting a shipment of 33 parcels of a potent cannabis strain, “Loud,” which arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) from the United States.
The NDLEA also made significant arrests in Kwara State, including Khadijat Abdulraheem, a recent graduate, and Ayomide Morakinyo, a student at the University of Ilorin, for selling drug-laced cupcakes to students. Additionally, in December 2024, four individuals involved in passport racketeering were arrested, and 52 passports were recovered from shipments attempting to be smuggled to Canada and Russia.
The NDLEA also seized 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup from two containers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex and recovered large quantities of tramadol and exol-5 in Kano, marking continued success in the agency’s efforts against drug abuse and trafficking.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved for their diligence in these operations, highlighting the importance of the agency’s efforts to reduce both drug supply and demand across the country.
