Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a notorious drug kingpin, Yussuf Azeez, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
The 40-year-old suspect, who had previously faced drug charges in the United Kingdom, had jumped bail and fled to Nigeria, according to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
“The drug kingpin had been arrested and charged for drug offences in the United Kingdom, but jumped bail and escaped to Nigeria,” Babafemi said. “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 at around 6:30 am on Thursday, November 6, while attempting to leave the country. Following his arrest, officials raided his laboratory at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, which had been under surveillance. At the time, Azeez was accompanied by 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun.
Inside the facility, the Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring dismantled laboratory equipment and seized precursor chemicals alongside 148.3 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.
In related operations, NDLEA collaborated with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies to seize additional narcotics. At the Sifax Bonded Terminal, Okota, Lagos, officers intercepted 105.5 kilograms of Molly and 500 grams of methamphetamine on Friday, November 7.
Elsewhere in Niger State, Ibrahim Mohammed, 35, was arrested along the Kainji–Wawa Road on Thursday, November 6, with 87,000 tramadol pills and 72 kilograms of cannabis hidden in a Volvo truck.
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In Taraba State, Felix Chinedu, 28, was apprehended at Kasuwabera ATC, Ardo Kola LGA, with 15,020 capsules of tramadol on the same day. Meanwhile, along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari Road, operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla carrying 34,520 tramadol capsules destined for Cameroon; the driver, Aliyu Samaila, 25, was taken into custody.
In Kogi State, officers patrolling the Okene–Lokoja Highway on Wednesday, November 5, seized 7.6 kilograms of Loud cannabis, later leading to the arrest of 40-year-old Chukwunonso Anieze in Abuja. On the same day, three suspects — Olayide Oyidiran, 39; Abdulsalam Abdulsalam, 28; and Opeyemi Tijjani, 39 — were caught at the Abuja–Kaduna Tollgate with 769 kilograms of skunk cannabis concealed in a truck headed for Kano.
The NDLEA also arrested elderly drug traffickers during recent operations. In Edo State, 73-year-old James Ugbedo was apprehended on Friday, November 7, at a cannabis plantation in Igbeshi Forest, Imiakebo, Etsako East LGA, where officials destroyed 1,459.75 kilograms of cannabis and evacuated another 5.6 kilograms. In Bayelsa State, 70-year-old Comfort Odudu was arrested on Tuesday, November 4, at 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 added.
The NDLEA spokesman emphasized that the agency has intensified nationwide operations targeting drug cartels, clandestine laboratories, and trafficking networks amid the rising production and smuggling of synthetic drugs across Nigeria.