NDLEA arrests wanted drug kingpin, dismantles Lagos synthetic-drug laboratory

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a wanted drug baron, Yussuf Azeez, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The 40-year-old suspect was intercepted on Thursday, November 6, 2025, while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.

A statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said Azeez had previously been arrested and charged with drug offences in the United Kingdom but jumped bail and fled to Nigeria.

According to Babafemi, Azeez allegedly established a clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area of Lagos for the production of Colorado, a dangerous synthetic strain of cannabis.

“The drug kingpin had been arrested and charged for drug offences in the United Kingdom, but jumped bail and escaped to Nigeria.

“Soon after settling in Lagos, he set up a massive clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area for the production of Colorado and other illicit substances,” Babafemi said.

He added that at about 6:30 am on Thursday, November 6, NDLEA operatives apprehended Azeez at the Lagos airport as he attempted to board his flight.

He was immediately taken to his laboratory at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, which had been under surveillance for some time.

At the point of his arrest, Azeez was found in the company of Abideen Kekere-Ekun, 43.

Inside the building, operatives from the Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring dismantled laboratory equipment, precursor chemicals, and already-produced illicit substances, including 148.3 kilograms of Colorado.

In a related operation, NDLEA operatives, working with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 105.5 kilograms of Molly, a designer drug, and 500 grams of methamphetamine during an examination of a shipment at the Sifax Bonded Terminal, Okota, Lagos, on Friday, November 7.

In Niger State, the agency arrested Ibrahim Mohammed, 35, on Thursday, November 6, along the Kainji–Wawa Road in a Volvo truck carrying 87,000 tramadol pills and 72 kilograms of cannabis.

Babafemi added that operatives also intercepted a Toyota Corolla marked GAN 102 AR along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari Road on Monday, November 3, with 34,520 capsules of tramadol concealed in different compartments. The driver, Aliyu Samaila, 25, was arrested. The drugs were reportedly loaded in Onitsha, Anambra State, and headed for Cameroon.

In Taraba State, a suspect identified as Felix Chinedu, 28, was arrested on Thursday, November 6, with 15,020 capsules of tramadol at Kasuwabera ATC, in Ardo Kola Local Government Area.

In Kogi State, operatives on patrol along the Okene–Lokoja Highway on Wednesday, November 5, seized 7.6 kilograms of Loud, another strain of cannabis, while a follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of the owner, Chukwunonso Anieze, 40.

Similarly, three suspects — Olayide Oyidiran, 39; Abdulsalam Abdulsalam, 28; and Opeyemi Tijjani, 39 — were arrested at the Abuja–Kaduna Tollgate on Wednesday, November 5, with 769 kilograms of skunk concealed in a truck marked TRE 897 BE. The consignment was reportedly coming from Lagos and heading to Kano.

In Edo State, the NDLEA arrested James Ugbedo, a 73-year-old man, on Friday, November 7, at a cannabis plantation in the Igbeshi Forest, Imiakebo, Etsako East Local Government Area. Officers destroyed 1,459.75 kilograms of cannabis on the farm and evacuated another 5.6 kilograms.

In Bayelsa State, a 70-year-old woman, Comfort Odudu, was arrested on Tuesday, November 4, at Onopa, Yenagoa, with 5 kilograms of cannabis.

“A 73-year-old grandpa, James Ugbedo, was arrested in Edo State, where 1,459.75kg of skunk was destroyed, while 70-year-old grandma, Mrs Comfort Odudu, was nabbed in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with 5kg of the same substance,” Babafemi added.

The NDLEA spokesman noted that the agency has intensified nationwide operations targeting drug cartels, clandestine laboratories, and trafficking networks amid the growing production and smuggling of synthetic drugs.