— Agency seizes 148.3kg of synthetic cannabis, precursors; arrests elderly traffickers in Edo, Bayelsa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while attempting to flee to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. The 40-year-old suspect, who had been on the agency’s watchlist for months, was apprehended following extensive surveillance and intelligence gathering on his large-scale narcotics operation.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, Azeez, who once jumped bail in the United Kingdom, where he faced drug trafficking charges, had relocated to Nigeria and established a sophisticated laboratory in Lekki, Lagos, for producing Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.
He was arrested around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 6, 2025, and taken to his residence at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, where NDLEA operatives dismantled the illicit laboratory. Recovered items included 148.3 kilograms of Colorado precursor chemicals and a range of production equipment. Azeez’s associate, Abideen Kekere-Ekun, 43, was also apprehended during the raid.
In a separate joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the Sifax Bonded Terminal, Okota, NDLEA agents intercepted 105.5kg of “Molly” (a designer drug) and 500 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a shipment on Friday, November 7.
Nationwide operations by the agency also led to multiple seizures and arrests.
In Niger State, operatives intercepted 87,000 pills of Tramadol and 72kg of skunk from a truck along Kainji–Wawa Road.
Along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari Road, 34,520 capsules of Tramadol were found hidden in a Toyota Corolla heading to Cameroon, leading to the arrest of Aliyu Samaila, 25.
In Taraba, a suspect, Felix Tanko Chinedu, 28, was nabbed with 15,020 capsules of Tramadol at Ardo Kola.
In Kogi, NDLEA recovered 7.6kg of Loud along the Okene–Lokoja highway, which led to a follow-up arrest in Abuja, where 175,000 opioid pills were also seized.
Three traffickers were arrested at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate with 769kg of skunk hidden in a truck bound for Kano.
READ ALSO: NDLEA Exposes ‘Medicinal Cannabis’ Scam, Says Youths Being Tricked With Poison
The agency also recorded significant arrests involving elderly traffickers. A 73-year-old man, James Ugbedo, was caught at a cannabis plantation in Etsako East LGA, Edo State, where over 1,459kg of skunk was destroyed. Similarly, a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Comfort Odudu, was arrested in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with 5kg of skunk.
The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the successful operations across Lagos, Edo, Taraba, Niger, Kogi, and Bayelsa States, describing the Lekki lab bust as “a major victory in the ongoing war against synthetic drug production.”
“The dismantling of yet another Colorado laboratory and the arrest of its mastermind barely a week after a similar operation in Ajao Estate show that the NDLEA is closing in on these merchants of death,” Marwa said. “We will continue to hunt them down, supported by our local and international law enforcement partners, until they are brought to justice.”
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to a balanced approach in its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which continues to reach schools, religious institutions, and transport unions across the country.
The latest operation underscores NDLEA’s intensified crackdown on synthetic drug networks and cross-border trafficking syndicates operating within Nigeria.
