Aderinoye Queen Christmas, also known as Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye, a former beauty queen who had been declared wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has turned herself in to the Lagos State Command after approximately eight months in hiding.
Aderinoye, who was crowned Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture 2015/2016, had been evading authorities since January 2024.
In a statement released on Sunday, September 1, 2024, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed that Aderinoye surrendered to the agency on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.
Babafemi noted that she had been on the run after escaping a raid by anti-narcotic operatives at her residence in the Lekki area of Lagos earlier this year. The raid followed intelligence reports linking her to illicit drug activities.
According to Babafemi, “Aderinoye had been hiding in Akure, Ondo State, since her escape.”
The former beauty queen, who is also the founder of the Queen Christmas Foundation, was reportedly apprehensive of facing the law until she eventually turned herself in.
The raid on her Lekki residence yielded significant findings. NDLEA officials, in the presence of estate representatives, recovered 606 grams of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, an electronic weighing scale, a large quantity of drug packaging materials, and a black RAV 4 SUV with Lagos license plates, among other items.
In related news, NDLEA operatives recently made substantial drug seizures in Lagos State. On Monday, August 26, 2024, the agency seized 1,122 kilograms of cannabis from a suspect identified as Mustapha Ibrahim along Orchid Road in Ajah, Lagos State. An additional 816 kilograms of cannabis, linked to another suspect who remains at large, was recovered from the same location.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the agency’s operatives for their continued efforts in combating drug trafficking.
“These recent seizures and arrests highlight the vigilance and professionalism of our officers. The NDLEA remains committed to both drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction efforts across the nation,” Marwa stated.
As the NDLEA continues its fight against illicit drug activities in Nigeria, the surrender of Aderinoye marks a significant development in the agency’s ongoing operations to curb drug trafficking and related crimes.