End of the road: Notorious drug queen and Lagos socialite, Iya Ruka, busted

After evading capture for several years, 61-year-old wanted queen of drugs and Lagos socialite, Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye, popularly known as ‘Iya Ruka’, has been nabbed.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday that the drug lord was arrested on Wednesday, January 1, at her mansion in the Okota area of Lagos following the interception of a truckload of illicit drug consignment from her staff on the same day.

“The arrest followed the interception of a truck driven by her employee, 41-year-old Abideen Adio, carrying 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis concealed in 44 jumbo sacks.

“Alhaja Ajoke, publicly known as a fabric and shoe importer, had been a wanted individual for leading a drug cartel operating out of Mushin, Lagos,” a statement obtained by Persecondnews said.

Also, in Kwara State, NDLEA officers arrested 24-year-old graduate Khadijat Abdulraheem and 20-year-old University of Ilorin student Ayomide Morakinyo on December 29, 2024, for producing and distributing drug-laced cupcakes.

Forty-two of the laced cupcakes were found in their apartment near the University of Ilorin.

The NDLEA’s MMIA Strategic Command also rearrested ex-convict Sodade Sunday Eniola for passport racketeering.

Eniola, previously convicted for drug trafficking in June 2024 and fined N750,000, was found to be involved in a syndicate concealing 52 passports in shipments bound for Canada, Russia, and other countries.

The passports were hidden in shoe soles and food items, leading to the arrest of four other syndicate members.

It said that acting on intelligence, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with Customs and other agencies, seized 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup from two containers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex on December 31, 2024.

On the same day in Kano, operatives recovered 149,090 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from a local dealer, 45-year-old Ismail Muhammad, during a raid in the Mafarki area of Dala Local Government.

The NDLEA has also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaigns, conducting sensitization programs in communities, schools, and religious centres across the nation, including Ekiti and Jigawa states.

Commenting on the operations, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa lauded the agency’s nationwide efforts and its balanced approach to reducing both drug supply and demand.