|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A prominent Lagos socialite and Nollywood filmmaker have been apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in connection with significant drug trafficking activities across Nigeria.
Reports indicate that on New Year’s Day, NDLEA operatives raided the Okota residence of 61-year-old Lagos socialite, Aishat Elediye, leading to her arrest.
The operation followed the interception of a white Isuzu truck loaded with 44 large sacks of imported cannabis weighing 1,540 kilograms in Lagos. The vehicle’s driver, 41-year-old Abideen Adio, an employee of Elediye, was also taken into custody.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Elediye—popularly known as “Iya Ruka”—had eluded capture for years while allegedly operating a drug cartel based in Mushin, Lagos.
“She is known in the drug underworld as Iya Ruka, but in social circles, she is called Alhaja Ajoke. Her true identity has been hidden for years despite being on the NDLEA’s wanted list. Her cover was blown on January 1, 2025, after operatives intercepted the truck carrying 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis, driven by her staff,” Babafemi stated.
While Elediye is publicly recognized as a businesswoman importing fabrics and shoes from China, NDLEA officials allege she covertly ran a massive drug operation. She is also the Iyalaje of Blessing Sisters, a prestigious Lagos women’s club.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers arrested a motivational speaker and US-trained Nollywood filmmaker, Emeka Mbadiwe.
Mbadiwe was detained at a Lekki hotel following the arrest of his associate, Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James. Investigations revealed that James had been sent by Mbadiwe to retrieve 33 parcels of “Loud,” a potent cannabis strain weighing 17.30 kilograms, from a shipment that arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on December 24, 2024, concealed in large wooden boxes.
In Kwara State, the NDLEA uncovered a ring producing drug-laced cupcakes. Fresh graduate Khadijat Abdulraheem, 24, and 20-year-old University of Ilorin student Ayomide Morakinyo were arrested on December 29, 2024, at Tanke-University Road, Ilorin. A search of their residence yielded 42 drug-infused cupcakes.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, ex-convict Sodade Eniola, previously jailed for drug trafficking, was rearrested for passport smuggling. NDLEA officials discovered he was part of a syndicate concealing passports in shoe soles and food items.
In another operation in Port Harcourt, a joint task force intercepted 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup on December 31, 2024. Additionally, in Kano’s Dala Local Government Area, NDLEA operatives recovered over 149,090 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 during a raid.
These arrests underscore the agency’s continued efforts to combat drug trafficking and related crimes in Nigeria.
