Agency recovers 148.3kg Colorado, precursors; nabs elderly traffickers in Edo, Bayelsa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, 40, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
Azeez, who had been under surveillance for months, was apprehended by operatives of the NDLEA’s special operations unit around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 6, 2025. The agency revealed that the suspect had previously been arrested in the United Kingdom for drug-related offences but fled to Nigeria after jumping bail.
Upon his return, Azeez reportedly established a large-scale clandestine laboratory at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, where he produced “Colorado,” a potent synthetic cannabis, and other illicit substances.
NDLEA operatives, accompanied by experts from the Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring, dismantled the entire facility, seizing 148.3 kilograms of Colorado, along with precursor chemicals and laboratory equipment. Another suspect, Abideen Kekere-Ekun, 43, was also arrested at the scene.
In a separate joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the Sifax bonded terminal in Okota, Lagos, NDLEA officers uncovered 105.5 kilograms of “Molly” (a designer drug) and 500 grams of methamphetamine on Friday, November 7.
The agency also carried out a series of successful interceptions across several states:
- In Niger State, operatives arrested Ibrahim Mohammed, 35, along Kainji-Wawa road with 87,000 tramadol pills and 72kg of cannabis concealed in a Volvo truck.
- In Taraba, Aliyu Samaila, 25, was caught transporting 34,520 capsules of tramadol to Cameroon, while Felix Tanko Chinedu, 28, was arrested with 15,020 capsules of tramadol at Kasuwabera ATC, Ardo Kola LGA.
- In Kogi State, officers intercepted 7.6kg of Loud (a high-grade strain of cannabis) along the Okene-Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of Chukwunonso Anieze, 40, and the recovery of 175,000 opioid pills.
- At the Abuja-Kaduna tollgate, three suspects — Olayide Oyidiran, 39; Abdulsalam Abdulsalam, 28; and Opeyemi Tijjani, 39 — were apprehended with 769kg of cannabis hidden in a truck travelling from Lagos to Kano.
The NDLEA also recorded arrests of elderly traffickers: 73-year-old James Ugbedo was caught tending a cannabis plantation in Etsako East LGA, Edo State, where 1,459.75kg of cannabis was destroyed, while 70-year-old Comfort Odudu was arrested with 5kg of cannabis in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Meanwhile, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaign continued across the country, with outreach programmes held in schools, religious centres, and transport unions in Ebonyi, Niger, Oyo, Sokoto, Adamawa, and Kebbi states.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), said the Lekki raid marked another major victory in the agency’s crackdown on synthetic drug production networks.
“The dismantling of yet another clandestine laboratory for the production of Colorado and other dangerous synthetic substances shows that these are only the first in a series of many strikes against merchants of death who prey on the weak in our communities,” Marwa stated.
“Let it be known to those still hiding in the dark that the NDLEA, supported by our local and international partners, will continue to hunt them down and bring them to justice.”