The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has begun the year with a series of successful operations, leading to significant drug seizures and high-profile arrests across Nigeria, including a US-trained Nollywood filmmaker and a notorious Lagos drug kingpin.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, operatives apprehended Emeka Emmanuel Mbadiwe, a filmmaker and motivational speaker, in a Lekki hotel on December 27, 2024. Mbadiwe’s arrest followed that of his associate, Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James, who was detained earlier at a warehouse in Ajao Estate, Ikeja. James was found in possession of 33 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 17.30 kg, which had arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) from the United States on December 24, 2024, concealed in wooden boxes.
The NDLEA also took action in Lagos, arresting 61-year-old Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye, a prominent socialite known as “Iya Ruka,” after intercepting a truck containing 1,540 kg of imported cannabis. Despite her public image as a fabric importer, investigations revealed that she led a major drug cartel operating in Mushin, Lagos. The arrest occurred on January 1, 2025, when operatives intercepted a truck carrying 44 jumbo sacks of cannabis, driven by one of her staff, Abideen Adio. Upon storming her residence at 33 Adebayo Oyewole Street, Okota, she was arrested.
Further arrests occurred in Kwara and Rivers states. On December 29, 2024, Khadijat Abdulraheem, 24, and Ayomide Morakinyo, 20, were arrested for producing and distributing drug-laced cupcakes in Ilorin, with 42 cupcakes seized during a raid. On December 31, 2024, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs, seized 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex. The same day in Kano State, operatives seized 149,090 pills of tramadol and exol-5 in a raid on the Mafarki area of Dala Local Government Area.
Additionally, NDLEA re-arrested ex-convict Sodade Sunday Eniola for involvement in passport smuggling. Eniola, who had previously avoided prison by paying a fine for drug trafficking, was implicated in a scheme to smuggle 52 passports concealed in shipments bound for Canada and Russia. Four other suspects tied to the syndicate were arrested.
As part of its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, the NDLEA has also conducted sensitization programs targeting traders, schools, and religious institutions nationwide.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended the operatives for their operational successes, emphasizing the agency’s comprehensive approach to reducing both drug supply and demand.
