Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug lord, 40-year-old Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos while he was about to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
Azeez had been under intelligence surveillance for months due to his involvement in large-scale drug production and trafficking. He was previously arrested and charged for drug related crimes in the United Kingdom but escaped to Nigeria after jumping bail.
Upon his return, he established a large clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area of Lagos, where he produced Colorado a dangerous synthetic cannabis and other illicit drugs.
NDLEA operatives apprehended him around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 6, 2025, and took him to his drug lab located at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, which had been under surveillance. Another suspect, 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun, was also arrested at the scene.
During the raid, NDLEA’s forensic team dismantled the lab and seized 148.3 kilograms of Colorado and other chemicals used for drug production.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies discovered 105.5 kilograms of Molly and 500 grams of methamphetamine during a joint inspection at the Sifax Bonded Terminal in Okota, Lagos, on Friday, November 7.
Across other states, NDLEA officers made several arrests and seizures:
Niger State: On November 6, operatives intercepted Ibrahim Mohammed (35) with 87,000 tramadol pills and 72kg of skunk in a Volvo truck along Kainji–Wawa Road.
Benue/Taraba Axis: On November 3, Aliyu Samaila (25) was arrested along Zaki-Biam–Wukari Road with 34,520 tramadol capsules hidden in a Toyota Corolla bound for Cameroon. Another suspect, Felix Tanko Chinedu (28), was caught in Taraba with 15,020 tramadol capsules.
Kogi State: On November 5, operatives seized 7.6kg of Loud (a potent cannabis strain) on the Okene–Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of Chukwunonso Anieze (40) and the recovery of 175,000 opioid pills.
Abuja/Kaduna Tollgate: Three suspects Olayide Oyidiran (39), Abdulsalam Abdulsalam (28), and Opeyemi Tijjani (39) were arrested with 769kg of skunk in a truck heading from Lagos to Kano.
Edo State: A 73-year-old man, James Ugbedo, was arrested at a cannabis farm in Igbeshi Forest, where 1,459.75kg of the substance was destroyed and 5.6kg recovered.
Bayelsa State: A 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Comfort Odudu, was arrested with 5kg of skunk at Onopa, Yenagoa, on November 4.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation programs in schools, worship centres, and communities.
The outreach took place in several institutions, including Transfiguration Seminary Secondary School in Ebonyi, Government Day Secondary School in Adamawa, and Immanuel College High School in Oyo State.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers for their efforts and urged them to sustain the momentum.
“The dismantling of another drug laboratory in Lekki and the arrest of its kingpin show our renewed commitment to destroying drug cartels across Nigeria.
These are just the first of many actions to come. We will continue to hunt down and bring to justice those who profit from destroying lives,” Marwa stated.
