The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug lord, Yussuf Azeez, and dismantled a major synthetic drug production laboratory in Lekki, Lagos State. Azeez, 40, was apprehended on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect had previously been arrested and charged for drug offences in the United Kingdom, but jumped bail and fled to Nigeria, where he later established a clandestine laboratory for producing Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.
“Soon after settling in Lagos, he set up a massive clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area for the production of Colorado and other illicit substances,” Babafemi said. At the time of his arrest, Azeez was reportedly in the company of Abideen Kekere-Ekun, 43.
NDLEA operatives subsequently raided the laboratory located at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, where they seized 148.3 kilogrammes of Colorado, precursor chemicals, and production equipment.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies intercepted 105.5 kilogrammes of Molly and 500 grams of methamphetamine during a cargo examination at the Sifax Bonded Terminal, Okota, Lagos, on Friday, November 7.
The agency also reported a series of coordinated arrests and seizures across multiple states, including Niger, Taraba, Kogi, and Edo states, and Abuja. Babafemi reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling the operations of drug cartels across the country, regardless of the sophistication of their networks or the profiles of their members.
