Saudi-bound drug lord arrested as NDLEA dismantles Clandestine Colorado Laboratory in Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, 40, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.

Azeez, who had earlier escaped from the United Kingdom after being charged for drug-related offences, was apprehended on Thursday, November 6, 2025, following months of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Azeez had established a large-scale clandestine laboratory at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, where he produced Colorado — a potent synthetic strain of cannabis — and other illicit drugs.

After his arrest at the airport, Azeez led operatives to the lab, where he was found with 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun. The operation led to the dismantling of the illicit facility and the recovery of 148.3 kilograms of Colorado, along with various precursor chemicals and equipment used in production.

In another major operation, NDLEA officers at the Sifax bonded terminal, Okota, Lagos, working jointly with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, discovered 105.5 kilograms of “Molly” (a designer drug) and 500 grams of methamphetamine during a shipment examination on Friday, November 7.

Across several states, NDLEA operatives also recorded significant seizures and arrests:

• In Niger State, a 35-year-old suspect, Ibrahim Mohammed, was intercepted along Kainji–Wawa Road with 87,000 tramadol pills and 72 kilograms of cannabis (skunk).
• In Taraba, Felix Tanko Chinedu, 28, was arrested with 15,020 tramadol capsules in Ardo Kola LGA.
• In Kogi, a patrol along Okene–Lokoja Highway led to the seizure of 7.6 kilograms of Loud, a strong cannabis variant. A follow-up operation in Abuja uncovered another 175,000 opioid pills and resulted in the arrest of Chukwunonso Anieze, 40.
• Three suspects — Olayide Oyidiran (39), Abdulsalam Abdulsalam (28), and Opeyemi Tijjani (39) — were caught at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate with 769 kilograms of skunk concealed in a truck en route to Kano.
• In Edo State, a 73-year-old grandfather, James Ugbedo, was arrested inside a cannabis plantation at Igbeshi Forest, Etsako East LGA, where 1,459.75 kilograms of the substance were destroyed and 5.6 kilograms evacuated.
• Similarly, in Bayelsa, a 70-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Comfort Odudu, was arrested with 5 kilograms of skunk at Onopa, Yenagoa.

Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres, transport unions, and communities, reaching several states including Ebonyi, Niger, Oyo, Sokoto, Adamawa, and Kebbi.

Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), said the dismantling of the Lekki laboratory marked another decisive strike against drug cartels operating in the country.

“The arrest of the kingpin behind this illicit lab, coming barely a week after similar actions in Ajao Estate, Lagos, is a clear message to drug traffickers. NDLEA, in collaboration with our local and international partners, will continue to hunt them down and bring them to justice,” Marwa stated.