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Wanted drug lord, Nollywood filmmaker arrested over heavy illicit drug shipments+Photos
… As NDLEA arrests 2 ladies for producing drug laced cakes for students; ex-convict, others in Kwara, Lagos, Kano, Rivers raids
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, started the new year with the arrest of 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.
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 Izuzu 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 following the arrest of his partner, Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James, earlier 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.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kano, PHPC and Kwara Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) 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.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has granted an immediate waiver of fees for the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for the Nigerian Law School’s Abuja campus in Bwari.
Speaking during a meeting with the school’s management in Abuja, Wike also declared an “emergency” on the construction of staff quarters and other critical infrastructure to enhance the institution’s learning environment.
Responding to an appeal from the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote, Wike expressed surprise that the institution had operated without a C of O since moving to Bwari.
He described the lack of official documentation for government institutions as a trend that his administration is actively correcting.
The Minister directed the Director of Lands to waive all processing fees for the school’s C of O, and issued a firm directive to ensure the document is processed and ready within one week.
He noted that regularizing the land is essential to move the school from what he colloquially termed an “illegal session” to rightful ownership.
Beyond land matters, the Minister committed the FCT Administration (FCTA) to several high-priority projects aimed at resolving overcrowding and improving staff efficiency.
Wike announced that 10 staff quarters have already been completed and will be commissioned as part of the President’s third anniversary.
He further pledged to construct an additional 10 units using existing prototypes to save on design costs.
According to him, work is progressing on two new hostels—one for male students and one for female students—to alleviate overcrowding.
The Minister confirmed he has approved the budget for a new auditorium and questioned why the contractor had not yet moved to the site.
To modernize administrative functions, Wike directed the school to liaise with the FCTA General Counsel, to explore digitization solutions similar to ongoing efforts at the FCT High Court.
Wike emphasized that these interventions are part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader agenda to support legal education and the judiciary.
He noted that the President is currently constructing “presidential apartments” for judges to ensure their security, welfare, and autonomy.
”Anything we can do to help our children, we are willing to do that,” Wike stated, adding that the staff quarters must be treated as an emergency project to ensure rapid delivery.
Earlier, Dr. Odusote congratulated the Minister on his appointment and praised the visible infrastructure developments across the FCT, while highlighting the specific challenges of disrepair and infrastructure deficits facing the Law School.
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has assured investors that the government will stay the course on economic reforms, declaring that policy reversals will not define the current phase of the country’s economic management.
The Minister stated this while speaking at the launch of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group Private Sector Outlook 2026 in Lagos on Thursday.
Oyedele said the administration is shifting from stabilisation to measurable growth, where reforms will be judged by outcomes rather than intent.
His comments came barely 48 hours after he assumed office, following the exit of Wale Edun from the Federal Executive Council.
“We are not looking back,” Oyedele said, stressing that consistency in policy direction remains critical to investor confidence.
He warned that mixed signals or abrupt reversals could stall progress, noting that “businesses need to know that today’s decisions will still hold tomorrow.”
While pointing to early signs of macroeconomic stabilisation, including a more aligned exchange rate and improved revenue performance, the minister said these gains must translate into tangible outcomes such as job creation, productivity growth and better living standards.
He identified four priorities for driving investment in the next phase which includes, policy consistency, predictability across fiscal and regulatory frameworks, reduction in the cost of doing business, and improved access to capital.
On financing, Oyedele said the government is working to expand credit across the economy, from consumer lending to industrial financing, with support from institutions such as the Bank of Industry, to stimulate growth and unlock private sector participation.
He added that Nigeria must target stronger real GDP per capita growth to make a meaningful impact on poverty, noting that modest growth figures would not be sufficient given the country’s population dynamics.
The minister further described the current stage of reforms as decisive, where success will depend on execution. “Reforms on their own do not create growth. We need investment at scale,” he said, adding that investors respond to stable and predictable environments, not policy announcements.
On the area of productivity, Oyedele said Nigeria must move beyond consumption-driven expansion and focus on improving output and competitiveness in key sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, energy and the digital economy.
He also called for deeper collaboration between government and the private sector, maintaining that economic growth cannot be delivered by public policy alone.
As the country enters what he termed a consolidation phase, Oyedele said the government would continue to deepen reforms, strengthen public financial management and improve coordination across all tiers of government.
He, however, acknowledged risks, including reform fatigue, inflationary pressures from global uncertainties, and political tensions ahead of the election cycle, but maintained that these challenges are surmountable with discipline and cooperation.
“Our task now is execution,” Oyedele said.
“This phase demands focus, consistency and accountability. That is the direction we are pursuing he added
The Federal Capital Territory FCT minister Nyesom Wike is presently holding a meeting with primary school teachers in the Territory over ongoing strike.
Watch:
Wike waives C-of-O fees for Nigerian Law School, orders emergency staff housing(Photos)
We’re not going to reverse reforms, Finance Minister, Oyedele tells investors
FCT minister Wike engages teachers over strike(Video)
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