The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Emeka Mbadiwe, a US-trained Hollywood and Nollywood filmmaker and motivational speaker, for his involvement in an illicit drug shipment operation. The arrest occurred on January 1, 2025, at his Lekki hotel room in Lagos.
According to a statement from NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the arrest followed a major drug bust on December 27, 2024. Mbadiwe’s associate, Uzoekwe James, had been arrested earlier the same day at a warehouse in Ajao Estate, where he was reportedly collecting 33 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis. The 17.3 kilograms of the drug had been shipped from the United States via Delta Airlines and concealed in large wooden boxes at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), arriving on December 24, 2024.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives in Kwara State arrested two individuals, Khadijat Abdulraheem, 24, and Ayomide Morakinyo, a 20-year-old University of Ilorin student, on December 29, 2024. They were found producing and selling drug-laced cupcakes to students. Forty-two drug-laced cakes were recovered from their residence.
Another arrest involved Sodade Sunday Eniola, an ex-convict who had been sentenced to four years in prison for drug trafficking earlier in 2024. He was re-arrested on December 30, 2024, for his involvement in passport racketeering at MMIA. This was part of a larger operation that led to the interception of 52 passports concealed in shoe soles and food items, being shipped to countries like Canada and Russia. The investigation also resulted in the arrest of four individuals tied to the passport racket: Sodade Sunday Eniola, Ayinde Saheed Awwal, Salaudeen Afeez Ayode, and Sheriff Adebayo Bamigbade.
Finally, NDLEA officers made a significant drug seizure at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State on December 31, 2024. Over 316,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered in a joint operation with Nigeria Customs and other security agencies. These operations represent a continuing effort by NDLEA to combat the rising tide of drug trafficking across Nigeria.
The suspects involved in these operations are being handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further investigation and potential prosecution.
