NDLEA Arrests Lagos Socialite and Drug Kingpin, Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a notorious drug kingpin and Lagos socialite, 61-year-old Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye, widely known as ‘Iya Ruka’ in the drug trade and Alhaja Ajoke in social circles.
Ajoke was arrested on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, at her mansion in Okota, Lagos, following the interception of a truckload of illicit drugs linked to her staff on the same day.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that Ajoke had been on the agency’s wanted list for years. She is accused of leading a major drug cartel operating out of the Mushin area of Lagos.
“The veil of her invincibility was lifted on January 1, 2025, when operatives, acting on intelligence, intercepted a white Isuzu truck carrying 44 jumbo sacks containing 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis. The truck was driven by her staff member, 41-year-old Abideen Adio,” Babafemi stated.
He added, “Following the interception, NDLEA operatives raided her hideout at 33 Adebayo Oyewole Street, off Ago Palace Way, Okota, where she was arrested. While she appears to be a businesswoman importing fabrics and shoes from China, Ajoke is heavily involved in illicit drug trafficking. She is also known as the Iyalaje of Blessing Sisters, an influential society club in Lagos.”
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers arrested a US-trained Hollywood and Nollywood filmmaker, Emeka Emmanuel Mbadiwe, on Friday, December 27, 2024, at a hotel in Lekki, Lagos.
Babafemi explained that Mbadiwe’s arrest followed the earlier apprehension of his associate, Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James, at a warehouse in Ajao Estate, Ikeja. James was caught collecting a shipment of 33 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain weighing 17.30 kilograms, smuggled into the country.
“The shipment, concealed in large wooden boxes, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, on December 24, 2024, via a Delta Airline flight from the United States. James had been sent by Mbadiwe to retrieve the consignment,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA continues its crackdown on drug cartels and traffickers as part of its commitment to dismantling illicit drug networks in Nigeria.
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