The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seems to be on a mission to clean up the streets and, quite frankly, expose the “who’s who” of the Nigerian drug underworld. Their latest operation on New Year’s Day saw the arrest of a 61-year-old socialite and “businesswoman,” Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye, aka “Iya Ruka,” in her Lagos mansion. Turns out, the so-called fabric importer from China had a side hustle, leading a major drug cartel.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, her secret life had been hidden in plain sight for years. Despite being on their wanted list, she managed to evade capture until intelligence reports led operatives to intercept a truckload of drugs linked to her staff. The white Izuzu truck carried 44 jumbo sacks containing a jaw-dropping 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis. When the NDLEA raided her home at 33 Adebayo Oyewole Street, Okota, they found her living the high life until the law finally caught up.
On the surface, she was just another Lagos socialite, an “Iyalaje” of a women’s club, but beneath the facade was a queenpin of a thriving drug cartel. And it doesn’t stop there. The NDLEA has had its hands full. From busting passport racketeering syndicates at Lagos airport to intercepting drug shipments disguised in everything from shoe soles to food items, Among those arrested was a certain Sodade Sunday Eniola, an ex-convict who clearly didn’t learn his lesson. After being convicted for drug trafficking and conveniently paying a N750,000 fine to avoid a four-year prison sentence, he was recently nabbed for passport smuggling
Meanwhile, in Port Harcourt, the NDLEA seized over 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup hidden in shipping containers. Elsewhere in Kano, a raid exposed over 149,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from a local dealer. The drug trade seems to have infiltrated every corner of the country. Even the youth are getting dragged into it. In Ilorin, two university students were arrested for selling drug-laced cupcakes to their peers. Imagine eating a snack and unknowingly getting high.
A US-trained filmmaker and motivational speaker, Emeka Emmanuel Mbadiwe, arrested alongside his partner for importing 33 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis.
As the saying goes, “No be everybody hustle you suppose envy.” Next time you see someone spraying money at a party, think twice before envying them. Some hustles are better left alone.
