- NDLEA arrests a wanted drug lord at Lagos airport while attempting to flee to Saudi Arabia.
- Agency uncovers and dismantles a secret drug laboratory producing Colorado in Lekki.
- Multiple arrests nationwide with seizures of tramadol, skunk cannabis, and designer drugs.
- NDLEA intensifies War Against Drug Abuse campaigns across schools and communities.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has captured a wanted drug kingpin, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The 40-year-old was intercepted just as he prepared to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Azeez had been on the agency’s watchlist. He previously faced drug-related charges in the United Kingdom, fled to Nigeria, and later set up a hidden laboratory in Lekki for the production of Colorado, a strong synthetic cannabis. He was arrested at about 6:30 a.m. on November 6, 2025, by a special operations team. He was not alone, 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun was with him.
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Immediately after the arrest, NDLEA operatives moved to the concealed lab at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, where they dismantled the equipment and seized 148.3 kilograms of Colorado along with various precursor chemicals.
In a separate joint inspection with the Nigeria Customs Service at the Sifax bonded terminal in Okota, Lagos, officers uncovered 105.5 kilograms of Molly and 500 grams of methamphetamine concealed in cargo.
The nationwide crackdown continued. In Niger State, 35-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed was stopped on Kainji–Wawa Road with a truck carrying 87,000 tramadol pills and 72 kilograms of skunk cannabis.
In Taraba, 25-year-old Aliyu Samaila was arrested with 34,520 tramadol capsules, while another suspect, Felix Tanko Chinedu, was caught with 15,020 capsules.
In Kogi State, operatives seized 7.6 kilograms of Loud cannabis along the Okene–Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of Chukwunonso Anieze, found with 175,000 opioid pills.
At the Abuja–Kaduna Tollgate, three suspects: Olayide Oyidiran (39), Abdulsalam Abdulsalam (28) and Opeyemi Tijjani (39) were arrested while transporting 769 kilograms of skunk cannabis from Lagos.
The clampdown extended to illegal cannabis farms. In Edo State, NDLEA officers arrested 73 year old James Ugbedo inside a plantation in Igbeshi Forest, Etsako East Local Government Area. The agency destroyed 1,459.75 kilograms of cannabis and seized 5.6 kilograms. In Bayelsa, 70-year-old Comfort Odudu was arrested with five kilograms of cannabis.
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Alongside enforcement, the agency intensified its War Against Drug Abuse campaigns in schools, worship centers, and workplaces. Sensitisation programs were held in Abakaliki, Niger State, Ibadan, Sokoto, Adamawa, and Kebbi.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised the officers, saying the dismantling of the Lekki drug laboratory proves that traffickers will not find safe hiding places.
“Those still hiding should know that the NDLEA will continue to hunt them and bring them to justice,” Marwa stated.
The operations form part of the agency’s ongoing nationwide push to cut off production, distribution, and abuse of illicit drugs.
