Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 40-year-old man described as a “notorious drug lord” at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, had been under close surveillance for several months before his capture. Investigations revealed that Azeez had previously been arrested and charged in the United Kingdom but fled to Nigeria after jumping bail.
The agency said Azeez was the mastermind behind a large-scale illegal drug laboratory located in the Lekki area of Lagos, where he allegedly produced “Colorado,” a highly potent synthetic strain of cannabis, along with other illicit substances. He was arrested alongside 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun, who is believed to be an accomplice in the operation.
During the raid, NDLEA operatives dismantled the laboratory and confiscated over 148 kilograms of various narcotics, along with industrial equipment and precursor chemicals used for drug production.
In separate coordinated operations across multiple states, NDLEA agents made additional significant seizures. In Lagos, they recovered 105.5 kilograms of Molly and 500 grams of methamphetamine. In Niger State, officers intercepted 87,000 tramadol pills and 72 kilograms of skunk.
In Edo State, a 73-year-old man was apprehended at a cannabis farm, where operatives destroyed nearly 1.5 tonnes of the illicit crop. Two other suspects—aged 70 and 43—were also arrested in Bayelsa and Kogi states for possession of cannabis and “Loud,” another potent cannabis variant.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the officers for their sustained efforts in combating drug trafficking, emphasizing that these operations are part of a nationwide campaign to dismantle criminal drug networks.
He stated that the arrests send “a strong warning to drug barons” that the agency, in collaboration with international partners, will continue to track, apprehend, and prosecute offenders wherever they operate.
