Lagos, Nigeria — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced that former beauty queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye, who was declared wanted eight months ago, has turned herself in to its Lagos Command. Aderinoye, who was crowned Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture in 2015/2016, had been on the run since January after a raid on her Lekki apartment uncovered significant quantities of illicit drugs.
Details of the Raid
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the agency had obtained credible intelligence that led to the January 24, 2024, raid on Aderinoye’s residence at the Oral Estate in Lekki, Lagos. During the operation, officers discovered 606 grams of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, along with an electronic weighing scale, large quantities of drug packaging materials, and a black RAV 4 SUV with the license plate Lagos KSF 872 GQ. A framed photograph of Aderinoye was also found at the scene.
Aderinoye managed to escape arrest during the raid, leading the NDLEA to declare her wanted. For the past eight months, she has reportedly been hiding in Akure, Ondo State.
Aderinoye’s Surrender
On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, Aderinoye voluntarily surrendered to the NDLEA’s Lagos Command. Babafemi confirmed that she was taken into custody and is currently cooperating with the agency.
Massive Drug Seizures at Ports and Airports
In related developments, the NDLEA has been actively cracking down on drug trafficking across the country. Babafemi revealed that the agency recently intercepted a staggering 31,124,600 pills of tramadol (225mg) and bottles of codeine-based syrup worth over ₦17.9 billion at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State, and Tincan Seaport in Lagos.
These seizures followed intelligence reports on shipments from India. Upon conducting a 100% joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, NDLEA operatives discovered 350,000 bottles of codeine syrup hidden in two containers at Tincan Port on August 29 and 30.
At Onne Port in Rivers State, officers intercepted 447 cartons of tramadol (225mg) containing 29,840,000 pills and 380,000 bottles of codeine syrup from three containers on August 29. The tramadol shipments were disguised under various brand names, including Royal Tapentadol, Carisoprodol 225mg, and Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg.
The following day, the NDLEA examined another three containers and recovered 3,030 cartons of codeine syrup containing 554,600 bottles. These seizures bring the total haul at the two ports to 1,284,600 bottles of codeine syrup, valued at ₦8.9 billion, and 29,840,000 tramadol pills worth ₦8.94 billion.
Ongoing Efforts Against Drug Trafficking
In addition to these large-scale operations, the NDLEA has made several arrests across the country. At the Port Harcourt International Airport on August 27, a suspect named Eze Emekan Don was apprehended while attempting to board a Cronos airline flight to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. He was found with 1,490 tramadol pills concealed in cosmetics packaging.
In Lagos, on August 26, NDLEA operatives seized 1,122 kilograms of cannabis from a suspect, Mustapha Ibrahim, along Orchid Road, Ajah. The same day, an additional 816 kilograms of cannabis was recovered from the same location, although the suspect in this case remains at large.
In Niger State, on August 26, officers arrested a suspect, Friday Gabriel, along the Minna-Suleja road with 1,900 tramadol capsules, 300 bottles of codeine syrup, and 600 packets of Exol-5 tablets.
Finally, on August 31, two suspects, Garba Muhammed and Usman Yakubu Shehu, were arrested along the Bauchi-Gombe road with 308 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4 kilograms. The drugs were concealed in a false compartment of a J5 bus marked Edo State URM 38 ZY.
Conclusion
The NDLEA continues to intensify its efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria, with significant seizures and arrests across the country. The surrender of Oluwadamilola Aderinoye underscores the agency’s commitment to bringing all offenders to justice, regardless of their status.