NDLEA Arrests UK-fugitive Yussuf Azeez, Recovers 148.3kg Illicit Drugs in Lekki Lab

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 40-year-old Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, a wanted UK-fugitive, at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Azeez, who was on his way to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, had been under months of surveillance for his involvement in drug trafficking.

“The drug kingpin had been arrested and charged for drug offences in the United Kingdom but jumped bail and escaped to Nigeria,” NDLEA confirmed.

Operatives immediately raided Azeez’s Lekki hideout at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, finding him with 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun.

NDLEA’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring dismantled his clandestine lab and recovered 148.3 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, along with precursor chemicals and other illicit substances.

Linked arrests across other states 

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives in Bayelsa State arrested 70-year-old Mrs. Comfort Odudu on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at Onopa, Yenagoa, with 5 kilograms of skunk found in her possession.

The arrest of the two elderly suspects followed several days of surveillance and intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling drug production and trafficking chains.

In addition to these arrests, NDLEA commands across Taraba, Niger, Kogi, Kaduna, and Lagos States also carried out simultaneous enforcement activities, resulting in the seizure of various illicit substances, including Colorado, Molly, methamphetamine, tramadol, and Loud.

At the Sifax bonded terminal in Okota, Lagos, operatives working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies discovered 105.5 kilograms of Molly (a designer drug) and 500 grams of methamphetamine during a joint examination of a shipment on Friday, November 7.

Similarly, in Niger State, Ibrahim Mohammed, 35, was intercepted along the Kainji–Wawa road while conveying 87,000 pills of tramadol and 72 kilograms of skunk in a Volvo truck marked GRZ 872 XA.

In another operation, 34,520 capsules of tramadol concealed in different compartments of a Toyota Corolla with registration GAN 102 AR were intercepted along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari road on Monday, November 3, leading to the arrest of Aliyu Samaila, 25. The consignment was reportedly loaded from Onitsha, Anambra State, and was en route to Cameroon.

Additional arrests and seizures 

In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives arrested Felix Tanko Chinedu, 28, at Kasuwabera ATC, Ardo Kola Local Government Area, with 15,020 capsules of tramadol on Thursday, November 6.

In Kogi State, officers on patrol along the Okene–Lokoja highway intercepted a consignment of 7.6 kilograms of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of Chukwunonso Anieze, 40, identified as the owner of the shipment. The same day, operatives recovered 175,000 pills of opioids from another consignment in the same location.

Also, three suspects , Olayide Oyidiran, 39; Abdulsalam Abdulsalam, 28; and Opeyemi Tijjani, 39 were apprehended at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate on Wednesday, November 5, with 769 kilograms of skunk concealed in a truck marked TRE 897 BE, which had originated from Lagos and was heading to Kano through Owo, Ondo State.

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the officers and men of the Special Operations Unit, Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring, Tincan, Edo, Taraba, Kaduna, Kogi, Niger, and Bayelsa Commands for their successful operations.