Drug trafficking: NDLEA arrest US-trained Hollywood and Nollywood filmmaker, Emeka Mbadiwe in Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said, yesterday, that its operatives have arrested a US-trained Hollywood and Nollywood filmmaker, Emeka Mbadiwe, who is also a motivational speaker at his Lekki Hotel room over illicit drug shipment.

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, NDLEA’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, said the suspect was arrested on January 1 at his Lekki Hotel room.

He said “NDLEA officers on Friday 27th December 2024 arrested a US-trained Hollywood and Nollywood filmmaker, Emeka Mbadiwe, who is also a motivational speaker at his Lekki Hotel room.

“This followed the arrest of his partner, Uzoekwe James, who was earlier arrested same day at a warehouse in Ajao Estate, where he was sent by Mbadiwe to collect a shipment of 33 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 17.30 kilograms, which arrived the Import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja on 24th December 2024 from the United States on a Delta Airline flight, concealed in large wooden boxes.

In Kwara State, a fresh graduate Khadijat Abdulraheem, 24, and a 20-year-old student of the University of Ilorin, Ayomide Morakinyo were on Sunday 29th December 2024 arrested by NDLEA operatives at Tanke-University of Ilorin road, Oke Odo, Ilorin based on credible intelligence that they were producing and selling drug laced cupcakes to students in the community.

When their apartment was searched, 42 pieces of drugged cakes were recovered from them.

An ex-convict, Sodade Sunday Eniola, who was arrested by operatives of the Tincan Command of NDLEA in June, 2024, for drug trafficking, prosecuted and sentenced to four years in prison has been arrested again by officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency for passport racketeering.

When he was convicted by a Federal High Court in Lagos on 14th June 2024, the trial judge gave him an option of paying N750,000 fine, which he paid and was let go.

However, in series of operations in December 2024, NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted no fewer than 52 passports of different countries from shipments going to Canada, Russia, and other countries concealed in shoe soles and food items.

Further investigations led to the arrest of four members of three syndicates involved in the racket.
The arrested suspects include: Sodade Sunday Eniola; Ayinde Saheed Awwal; Salaudeen Afeez Ayode; and Sheriff Adebayo Bamigbade.

Both the exhibits and the suspects were on Monday 30th December 2024 handed over to the Zonal Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Lagos for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Not less than 316, 800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from two containers by NDLEA officers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne Rivers state during a joint examination of the shipments with men of Nigeria Customs and other security agencies on Tuesday 31st December 2024.

The seizure followed credible intelligence processed by the Port Harcourt Port Command of the Agency.