The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug baron, Yussuf Azeez, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, the lesser Hajj.
The 40-year-old suspect, who had previously been charged with drug offences in the United Kingdom before jumping bail and fleeing to Nigeria, was apprehended following months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on his illicit operations.
After resettling in Lagos, heallegedly established a massive clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area for the production of Colorado, a dangerous synthetic strain of cannabis, among other illicit substances.
Confirming his arrest on Sunday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, stated that the suspect was apprehended by operatives of a special NDLEA unit and taken to his hideout at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, where agents discovered the large-scale laboratory.
According to him, “During the raid, NDLEA’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring (DFCM) dismantled the facility, recovering laboratory equipment, precursor chemicals, and already processed drugs weighing 148.3 kilograms. Another suspect, Abideen Kekere-Ekun (43), was also arrested at the scene”.
After his arrest, Babafemi stated that the agency in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs and other security agencies uncovered 105.5kg of Molly (designer drugs) and 500 grams of methamphetamine during a joint examination at the Sifax bonded terminal in Okota, Lagos.
Nationwide operations within the same period also yielded significant seizures including the arrest of a 35-year-old suspected drug dealer in Niger State, Ibrahim Mohammed, who was intercepted with 87,000 tramadol pills and 72kg of skunk in a Volvo truck along the Kainji-Wawa road.
“Similarly, in Taraba State, operatives arrested Felix Chinedu (28) with 15,020 capsules of tramadol at Kasuwabera ATC, Ardo Kola LGA, while another suspect, Aliyu Samaila (25), was caught along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari road transporting 34,520 tramadol capsules from Onitsha to Cameroon.
“In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene/Lokoja highway seized 7.6kg of Loud (a potent cannabis strain).
“A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of Chukwunonso Anieze (40) and the recovery of 175,000 opioid pills. Additionally, three men, Olayide Oyidiran (39), Abdulsalam Abdulsalam (28), and Opeyemi Tijjani (39), were nabbed with 769kg of skunk at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate in a truck heading to Kano.
“In separate operations, a 73-year-old man, James Ugbedo, was arrested at a cannabis plantation in Igbeshi forest, Etsako East LGA, Edo State, where 1,459.75kg of skunk was destroyed and 5.6kg recovered. Also, a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Comfort Odudu, was caught with 5kg of skunk at Onopa, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Tuesday, November 4.
“The NDLEA further intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign nationwide, holding sensitization programs in schools, religious centres, and transport unions across states, including Ebonyi, Niger, Oyo, Sokoto, Adamawa, and Kebbi”.
Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), hailed the dismantling of the Lekki drug lab as another breakthrough in the Agency’s anti-narcotics efforts.
“The dismantling of yet another clandestine laboratory for the production of Colorado and the arrest of the kingpin behind it in Lekki, coming barely a week after a similar operation in Ajao Estate, Lagos, shows our resolve to go after these merchants of death who prey on the weak in our communities,” Marwa said.
“Supported by our local and international partners, the NDLEA will continue to hunt and bring to justice anyone involved in the illicit drug trade,” he added.
