The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed that former beauty Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye has turned herself in at their Lagos command. Aderinoye, who held the title of Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture in 2015/2016, had been evading authorities since being declared wanted eight months ago.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Aderinoye was declared wanted following a raid on her Lekki residence on January 24, 2024. During the operation, NDLEA operatives recovered 606 grams of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, along with an electronic weighing scale, drug packing materials, and her black RAV 4 SUV, among other items.
Babafemi stated, "Ms. Aderinoye, also known as Ms. Queen Christmas, surrendered to the NDLEA's Lagos Command after nearly eight months of hiding. She had evaded capture by escaping her home when officials conducted a raid based on credible intelligence regarding her involvement in drug trafficking."
The agency reported that Aderinoye had claimed she was hiding in Akure, Ondo State, since her escape. However, she finally surrendered to the NDLEA on August 28.
In addition to Aderinoye's case, the NDLEA disclosed a separate significant drug bust at the Port Harcourt Port Complex and Tincan seaport in Lagos. Operatives intercepted over 31 million pills of tramadol, valued at over N17.9 billion, along with substantial amounts of codeine-based syrup. A series of coordinated examinations with the Nigerian Customs Service led to these major seizures.
Babafemi detailed that among the confiscated materials, the agency recovered 350,000 bottles of codeine syrup from two containers at Tincan port on August 29 and 30, and also intercepted 447 cartons containing nearly 30 million tramadol pills at the Port Harcourt Port Complex.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect at Port Harcourt International Airport on August 27 while attempting to smuggle tramadol disguised as cosmetics. Further operations in Lagos and Niger State resulted in several arrests and seizures of cannabis and other narcotics.
Babafemi emphasized the agency's ongoing commitment to combating drug trafficking and ensuring public safety, as more operations continue across the country.