Lagos, NIGERIA— In a dramatic turn of events, the former Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture, Ms. Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye, has turned herself in to the Lagos Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after eight months on the run. She surrendered voluntarily on August 28, 2024, marking a significant moment in the ongoing battle against drug trafficking in Nigeria.
The 2015/2016 Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture titleholder and founder of the Queen Christmas Foundation had been evading authorities since January, when NDLEA operatives raided her Lekki residence following intelligence reports of her involvement in the illegal drug trade.
According to a statement by NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the raid on January 24 uncovered substantial evidence, including 606 grams of Canadian Loud (a synthetic strain of cannabis), an electronic weighing scale, drug packaging materials, and a black RAV4 SUV with Lagos license plate KSF 872 GQ.
Ms. Aderinoye, who claimed to have been hiding in Akure, Ondo State since her escape, voluntarily surrendered to authorities on August 28.
“Wanted ex-beauty queen, Ms. Aderinoye, also known as Ms. Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye, has surrendered to the Lagos Command of the agency after about eight months in hiding. She was declared wanted in January after escaping from her Lekki residence when NDLEA operatives executed a raid due to credible intelligence about her involvement in illegal drug activities,” the statement says.
In related developments, NDLEA operations have led to significant drug seizures across Nigeria.
NDLEA operatives intercepted a 31,124,600 pills of tramadol (225mg) and numerous bottles of codeine-based syrup, with a combined street value exceeding N17,932,200,000. The seizures occurred at the Port Harcourt Port Complex and Tincan Seaport in Lagos, following intelligence on shipments originating from India.
The breakdown reveals that 350,000 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from two containers at Tincan Port in Lagos on August 29 and 30, 2024, with each container holding 175,000 bottles.
At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, operatives also intercepted 447 cartons of tramadol (225mg) containing 29,840,000 pills, along with 380,000 bottles of codeine syrup from three containers on August 29. These tramadol shipments were labeled under various brand names including Royal Tapetadol, Carisoprodol 225mg, and Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg.
The following day, another set of three containers flagged by the NDLEA were examined, resulting in the recovery of 3,030 cartons of codeine syrup containing 554,600 bottles. This brings the total number of codeine bottles seized at Onne, Rivers, and Tincan in Lagos to 1,284,600, with an estimated street value of N8,992,200,000. The combined seizure of tramadol pills stands at 29,840,000, valued at N8,940,000,000.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Eze Emekan Don, at Port Harcourt International Airport on August 27 while he attempted to board a flight to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, carrying 1,490 tramadol pills concealed among various cosmetic packages in his luggage.
In Lagos, at least 1,122 kilograms of cannabis were seized from a suspect named Mustapha Ibrahim on August 26 along Orchid Road, Ajah. Authorities also recovered 816 kg of the same substance from another suspect at large at the same location.
n Niger State, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect named Friday Gabriel on August 26, who was transporting 1,900 capsules of tramadol, 300 bottles of codeine syrup, and 600 packets of exol-5 tablets along the Minna-Suleja road.
Similarly, in Bauchi State, two suspects, Garba Muhammed (35) and Usman Yakubu Shehu (31), were apprehended on August 31 while transporting 308 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4 kg, concealed in a hidden compartment of a bus marked from Edo State, URM 38 ZY.
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