NDLEA Rounds Up Wanted Drug Baron at Lagos Airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a wanted drug kingpin, Yussuf Azeez, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

The 40-year-old suspect was arrested in the early hours of Thursday, November 6, 2025, while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, according to a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy.

Babafemi disclosed that Azeez had previously been arrested and charged with drug-related offences in the United Kingdom, but escaped custody after jumping bail and fled to Nigeria. Upon his return, he allegedly set up a secret laboratory in the Lekki area of Lagos for the large-scale production of Colorado, a highly potent synthetic variant of cannabis. “After evading justice in the UK, Azeez established a major clandestine laboratory in Lekki for the production of Colorado and other illicit drugs,” Babafemi stated.

He added that NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence and sustained surveillance, intercepted Azeez at the airport around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday before he could depart the country.

The suspect was immediately escorted to his operational base located at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, which had been under close watch by the agency.

At the time of his arrest, Azeez was reportedly in the company of Abideen Kekere-Ekun, 43.

During the subsequent raid, operatives from the Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring dismantled the illegal laboratory and seized equipment, precursor chemicals, and 148.3 kilograms of Colorado already processed for distribution.

The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying its crackdown on illicit drug networks and ensuring that individuals involved in the production and trafficking of narcotics are brought to justice.