A wanted drug baron, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, aged 40, has been apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during a sting operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
The arrest, which took place around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 6, 2025, followed months of intelligence gathering and close surveillance by the agency’s special operations unit.
Azeez, who was previously charged with drug offences in the United Kingdom, had jumped bail and fled to Nigeria. Upon resettling in Lagos, he established a massive clandestine laboratory in Lekki for the production of Colorado—a lethal synthetic cannabis—as well as other illicit substances.
According to a statement issued by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Sunday, the fugitive walked unsuspectingly into the hands of NDLEA operatives at the airport. He was immediately taken to his hideout at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, which had been under discreet surveillance.
During the raid, the agency uncovered a full-scale drug production facility equipped with high-end laboratory instruments, precursor chemicals, and already-produced substances weighing 148.3 kilograms. Azeez was arrested alongside an accomplice, 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun.
Nationwide Crackdown on Drug Cartels
In a series of coordinated raids across the country, NDLEA operatives recorded several major busts:
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Lagos: At the Sifax Bonded Terminal in Okota, a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies led to the discovery of 105.5 kilograms of Molly (a designer drug) and 500 grams of methamphetamine on Friday.
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Niger State: On November 6, operatives intercepted a Volvo truck marked GRZ 872 XA along the Kainji-Wawa road. The truck, driven by Ibrahim Mohammed, contained 87,000 pills of Tramadol and 72 kilograms of Skunk (a potent strain of cannabis).
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Benue State: A Toyota Corolla marked GAN 102 AR was intercepted on the Zaki-Biam–Wukari road on November 3, with 34,520 capsules of Tramadol concealed in secret compartments. The driver, Aliyu Samaila, confessed that the drugs were loaded in Onitsha, Anambra State, en route to Cameroon.
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Taraba State: On November 6, NDLEA officers arrested Felix Tanko Chinedu at Kasuwabera ATC, Ardo Kola LGA, with 15,020 capsules of Tramadol.
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Kogi and Abuja: A patrol team along the Okene–Lokoja highway intercepted 7.6 kilograms of Loud (a high-grade cannabis strain). Follow-up investigations in Abuja led to the arrest of Chukwunonso Anieze, the consignment’s owner, and the recovery of 175,000 opioid pills.
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Kaduna–Abuja Tollgate: Three suspects — Olayide Oyidiran, Abdulsalam Abdulsalam, and Opeyemi Tijjani — were arrested on November 5 while transporting 769 kilograms of Skunk in a truck from Lagos to Kano via Owo, Ondo State.
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Edo State: A 73-year-old man, James Ugbedo, was apprehended in a cannabis plantation at Igbeshi Forest, Imiakebo, Etsako East LGA, where 1,459.75 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed.
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Bayelsa State: A 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Comfort Odudu, was arrested at Onopa, Yenagoa, with 5 kilograms of Skunk on November 4.
War Against Drug Abuse Intensifies
The NDLEA said that while its operatives conducted several raids, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme continued across schools, religious institutions, and workplaces to promote awareness and prevention.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the officers involved in the successful operations across the states.
He described the Lekki drug lab bust as a significant breakthrough, noting that it came barely a week after a similar operation at Ajao Estate, Lagos.
“The dismantling of yet another clandestine laboratory and the arrest of its mastermind shows that our campaign against drug barons is gaining traction,” Marwa said.
“These are the first of many strikes against merchants of death who prey on the weak in our communities. Let it be known to those still hiding in the dark that the NDLEA, supported by local and international partners, will continue to hunt them and bring them to justice.”
