The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a wanted drug lord, 40-year-old Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. He was intercepted while en route to Saudi Arabia for Umrah after months of intelligence gathering and surveillance of his criminal activities.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, Abuja, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday.

According to the statement, Azeez had previously been arrested and charged with drug offences in the United Kingdom but absconded after jumping bail, returning to Nigeria. After settling in Lagos, he allegedly established a large clandestine laboratory in Lekki for producing Colorado, a deadly synthetic cannabis, alongside other illicit substances.

At the time of arrest, Azeez was accompanied by 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun. NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring dismantled the laboratory, seizing 148.3 kilograms of precursor chemicals and finished drugs, including Colorado.

In a related operation, NDLEA, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, discovered 105.5kg of Molly and 500g of methamphetamine at Sifax bonded terminal, Okota, Lagos, on Friday, 7 November.

Other recent seizures include:

Niger State (6 Nov): Ibrahim Mohammed, 35, intercepted along Kainji-Wawa road with 87,000 tramadol pills and 72kg of skunk cannabis.

Taraba State (6 Nov): Felix Tanko Chinedu, 28, caught with 15,020 tramadol capsules at Kasuwabera ATC, Ardo Kola LGA.

Kogi State (5 Nov): NDLEA recovered 7.6kg of Loud cannabis along Okene-Lokoja highway; the owner, Chukwunonso Anieze, 40, was arrested in Abuja, where an additional 175,000 opioid pills were also seized.

Abuja/Kaduna Tollgate (5 Nov): Three suspects—Olayide Oyidiran, 39; Abdulsalam Abdulsalam, 28; and Opeyemi Tijjani, 39—were arrested with 769kg of skunk en route from Lagos to Kano.

Edo State (7 Nov): James Ugbedo, 73, apprehended in Igbeshi forest, Etsako East LGA, with 1,459.75kg of skunk destroyed and 5.6kg seized.

Bayelsa State (4 Nov): Mrs. Comfort Odudu, 70, caught with 5kg of skunk in Onopa, Yenagoa.

Zaki-Biam/Wukari road (3 Nov): Aliyu Samaila, 25, arrested with 34,520 tramadol capsules concealed in a Toyota Corolla, headed to Cameroon.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers for their efforts, urging continued vigilance across the country. He highlighted that the dismantling of Azeez’s laboratory in Lekki, following a similar operation against another cartel in Ajao Estate, Lagos, signals the beginning of sustained strikes against drug traffickers.

Marwa emphasized, “These operations demonstrate that the NDLEA, with support from local and international law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue criminals preying on vulnerable communities and bring them to justice.”