The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
A statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the 40-year-old suspect, who had previously fled drug charges in the United Kingdom, was captured by operatives of a special task force during an early morning operation on November 6.
Following his arrest, NDLEA agents raided Azeez’s clandestine drug laboratory at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, where they recovered 148.3 kilograms of Colorado (synthetic cannabis) and large quantities of precursor chemicals used in production. The entire facility was subsequently dismantled.
Another suspect, Abideen Kekere-Ekun (43), was arrested alongside Azeez during the airport operation.
In a separate joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service at the Sifax bonded terminal, Okota, Lagos, on November 7, NDLEA operatives uncovered 105.5 kilograms of Molly (a designer drug) and 500 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a shipment.
Across various states, NDLEA teams also recorded major seizures:
In Niger State, a 35-year-old driver, Ibrahim Mohammed, was arrested along the Kainji-Wawa Road in a Volvo truck loaded with 87,000 tramadol tablets and 72 kilograms of skunk cannabis.
In Taraba State, Aliyu Samaila (25) was caught transporting 34,520 tramadol capsules from Onitsha, Anambra, to Cameroon, while Felix Tanko Chinedu (28) was arrested with 15,020 tramadol capsules in Ardo Kola LGA.
In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives intercepted 7.6 kilograms of Loud cannabis along 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 from another consignment.
Similarly, three suspects, Olayide Oyidiran (39), Abdulsalam Abdulsalam (28), and Opeyemi Tijjani (39), were caught at the Abuja-Kaduna Tollgate transporting 769 kilograms of skunk from Lagos to Kano in a truck marked TRE 897 BE.
In Edo State, NDLEA agents arrested 73-year-old James Ugbedo at a cannabis plantation inside Igbeshi Forest, Imiakebo, Etsako East LGA.
They destroyed 1,459.75 kilograms of cannabis on-site and seized an additional 5.6 kilograms. Similarly, 70-year-old Comfort Odudu was apprehended in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with five kilograms of cannabis.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitisation programmes across schools, religious institutions, and workplaces.
The awareness sessions took place in institutions such as Transfiguration Seminary Secondary School, Abakaliki, Immanuel College, Ibadan, and Government Day Secondary School, Namtari, Adamawa, among others.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the officers involved in the series of successful operations, describing them as proof of the agency’s sustained commitment to eradicating drug trafficking and abuse.
“The dismantling of another clandestine lab and the arrest of its operator confirm that our offensive against illicit drug production remains relentless. Those still hiding should know that the NDLEA will continue to track, arrest, and prosecute them,” Marwa said.
He reaffirmed that the agency, working with local and international partners, will continue to intensify surveillance, intelligence, and enforcement to cripple the narcotics trade and safeguard communities nationwide.
