Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested 40-year-old Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, a wanted drug trafficker, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Azeez was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
Th e spokesperson noted that the arrest was the result of months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on the suspect’s criminal network.
Babafemi said that Azeez, who had previously faced drug-related charges in the United Kingdom before absconding, returned to Nigeria to establish a large-scale clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area of Lagos.
The facility was reportedly used for producing Colorado — a potent synthetic form of cannabis — and other illegal substances.
Following his arrest, NDLEA officers escorted Azeez to his laboratory in Ogombo, Lekki — a site that had been under watch — where another suspect, 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun, was also found.
The agency’s forensic team successfully dismantled the facility, seizing equipment, precursor chemicals, and 148.3 kilograms of already processed Colorado.
Babafemi added that in separate nationwide operations, NDLEA agents intercepted multiple shipments of illicit substances, including designer drugs, methamphetamine, tramadol, and large quantities of cannabis.
The raids, conducted across Niger, Taraba, Kogi, Edo, Bayelsa, and the Federal Capital Territory, led to the arrest of several suspects and the recovery of hundreds of kilograms of narcotics.
NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa, commended the operatives for the successful operation, noting that the destruction of another illegal drug laboratory marks a significant milestone in the agency’s ongoing campaign against narcotics production and trafficking.
Marwa said, “Let it be known to those still hiding in the dark that the NDLEA, supported by our local and international law enforcement partners, will continue to hunt them down and bring them to justice.”
