The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said on
Sunday that its operatives arrested a wanted drug kingpin and Lagos socialite,
61-year-old Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye on Wednesday 1st January 2025
in her mansion at Okota area of Lagos following the interception of a truckload
illicit drug consignment from her staff same day.
Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi said, “Known in the
drug underworld as ‘Iya Ruka’, Alhaja Ajoke as she is fondly called in social
circle, has her true identity shrouded in mystery for years while she remained
on the wanted list of NDLEA for leading one of the drug cartels operating from
Mushin area of Lagos.
“The lid was however blown off her invincibility on
Wednesday 1st January 2025 when NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence
intercepted a white Isuzu truck carrying 44 jumbo sacks containing 1,540
kilograms of imported cannabis and driven by one of her staff, 41 year-old
Abideen Adio.
“Thereafter, the operatives stormed her hideout at 33
Adebayo Oyewole street, off Ago Palace way, Okota, where they arrested her.
“On the surface, Alhaja Ajoke is a businesswoman who imports
fabrics and shoes from China but beneath is a massive illicit drug trade.
“She is also recognized as the Iyalaje of Blessing Sisters,
an influential club of society women in Lagos”.
“In another major operation, NDLEA officers on Friday 27th
December 2024 arrested a US-trained Hollywood and Nollywood filmmaker, Emeka
Emmanuel Mbadiwe, who is also a motivational speaker at his Lekki Hotel room.
“His followed the arrest of his partner, Uzoekwe Ugochukwu
James, who was earlier been arrested same day at a warehouse in Ajao estate
Ikeja, where he was sent by Mbadiwe to collect a shipment of 33 parcels of
Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 17.30 kilograms, which arrived the
Import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja on 24th
December 2024 from the United States on a Delta Airline flight, concealed in
large wooden boxes.
In Kwara state, a fresh graduate Khadijat Abdulraheem, 24,
and a 20-year-old student of the University of Ilorin, Ayomide Morakinyo were
on Sunday 29th December 2024 arrested by NDLEA operatives at Tanke-University
of Ilorin road, Oke Odo, Ilorin based on credible intelligence that they were
producing and selling drug laced cupcakes to students in the community.
When their apartment was searched, 42 pieces of drugged
cakes were recovered from them.
An ex-convict, Sodade Sunday Eniola, who was arrested by
operatives of the Tincan Command of NDLEA in June, 2024, for drug trafficking,
prosecuted and sentenced to four years in prison has been arrested again by
officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency for passport racketeering.
When he was convicted by a Federal High Court in Lagos on
14th June 2024, the trial judge gave him an option of paying N750,000 fine,
which he paid and was let go.
However, in series of operations in December 2024, NDLEA
operatives at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted no fewer than 52
passports of different countries from shipments going to Canada, Russia, and
other countries concealed in shoe soles and food items.
Further investigations led to the arrest of four members of
three syndicates involved in the racket.
The arrested suspects include: Sodade Sunday Eniola; Ayinde
Saheed Awwal; Salaudeen Afeez Ayode; and Sheriff Adebayo Bamigbade.
Both the exhibits and the suspects were on Monday 30th
December 2024 handed over to the Zonal Command of the Nigerian Immigration
Service in Lagos for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Not less than 316, 800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were
recovered from two containers by NDLEA officers at the Port Harcourt Ports
Complex, Onne Rivers state during a joint examination of the shipments with men
of Nigeria Customs and other security agencies on Tuesday 31st December 2024.
The seizure followed credible intelligence processed by the
Port Harcourt Port Command of the Agency.
In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 31st December 2024
raided Mafarki, Dan Dishe area of Dala LG where they recovered 149, 090 pills
of tramadol and exol-5 from a local dealer, 45-year-old Ismail Muhammad.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency
across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization
activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among
others in the past week.
These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to traders at
Ido-Osi Central Market, Ido Ekiti, Ekiti state; and Muslim faithful during
their Juma’at prayer at Birnin Kudu central mosque, Jigawa state, among others.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen.
Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commend the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kano,
PHPC and Kwara Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures.
He stated that their operational successes and those of
their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug
supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
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