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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug trafficker, Yussuf Azeez, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the 40-year-old suspect had previously been arrested in the United Kingdom for drug-related offences but fled to Nigeria after jumping bail.
“The drug kingpin had been arrested and charged for drug offences in the United Kingdom, but jumped bail and escaped to Nigeria,” Babafemi stated. “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.”
Azeez was intercepted by NDLEA operatives around 6:30 am on Thursday, November 6, 2025. Following his arrest, officers took him to his operational base at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki — a property that had been under surveillance for some time. He was found in the company of 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun at the time of the arrest.
During the raid, personnel from the Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring dismantled laboratory equipment and seized several precursor chemicals, alongside 148.3 kilograms of Colorado — a potent synthetic variant of cannabis.
The NDLEA’s Lagos operation was followed by several coordinated crackdowns across other states in the country. Working jointly with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, operatives seized 105.5 kilograms of Molly (a designer drug) and 500 grams of methamphetamine at the Sifax Bonded Terminal in Okota, Lagos, on Friday, November 7.
In Niger State, a 35-year-old suspect, Ibrahim Mohammed, was apprehended on Thursday, November 6, along the Kainji–Wawa Road. He was transporting 87,000 tramadol pills and 72 kilograms of cannabis concealed in a Volvo truck.
Similarly, in Taraba State, operatives arrested 28-year-old Felix Chinedu with 15,020 capsules of tramadol at Kasuwabera ATC, Ardo Kola Local Government Area. On the same day, officers intercepted a Toyota Corolla along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari Road, discovering 34,520 tramadol capsules allegedly destined for Cameroon. The driver, identified as 25-year-old Aliyu Samaila, was taken into custody.
In another operation in Kogi State, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, November 5, seized 7.6 kilograms of “Loud” cannabis along the Okene–Lokoja Highway. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 40-year-old Chukwunonso Anieze in Abuja. The same day, three other suspects — Olayide Oyidiran, 39; Abdulsalam Abdulsalam, 28; and Opeyemi Tijjani, 39 — were arrested at the Abuja–Kaduna Tollgate with 769 kilograms of skunk cannabis concealed in a truck heading to Kano.
In Edo State, officers stormed a cannabis farm located in Igbeshi Forest, Imiakebo, Etsako East LGA, arresting 73-year-old James Ugbedo. The team destroyed 1,459.75 kilograms of cannabis on site and recovered another 5.6 kilograms. Likewise, in Bayelsa State, a 70-year-old woman, Comfort Odudu, was arrested on Tuesday, November 4, in 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 said.
The NDLEA spokesman reaffirmed the agency’s ongoing commitment to dismantling drug cartels, illegal laboratories, and trafficking networks nationwide, as it intensifies its campaign against the rising production and distribution of synthetic drugs across Nigeria.
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