Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended the agency’s officers for their efforts and urged continued vigilance under the War Against Drug campaign, gollowong an arrested of a wanted drug kingpin, 40-year-old Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
Azeez, who previously escaped bail in the United Kingdom on drug charges, was tracked through months of surveillance. Upon his arrest, he was taken to his clandestine laboratory in Ogombo, Lekki, where officers dismantled equipment and seized 148.3kg of Colorado — a potent synthetic cannabis and other illicit substances. Another suspect, Abideen Kekere-Ekun, was arrested alongside him.
Also in Lagos, a joint operation at the Sifax bonded terminal uncovered 105.5kg of Molly and 500 grams of methamphetamine in a shipment. Similar anti-drug operations across the country also yielded significant arrests and seizures. In Niger State, 87,000 pills of tramadol and 72kg of cannabis were intercepted, while in Taraba, over 34,520 capsules of tramadol were discovered concealed in a vehicle. NDLEA also intercepted 7.6kg of Loud cannabis along Okene/Lokoja highway, leading to a follow-up arrest in Abuja.
Across Kaduna and other states, large quantities of skunk and other narcotics were also recovered, including a truck carrying 769kg of cannabis en route to Kano. In Edo and Bayelsa States, elderly individuals were apprehended for involvement in cannabis cultivation and distribution, with nearly 1.5 tonnes of plantations destroyed in Edo alone. These operations highlight the wide spread of drug trafficking networks across regions and age groups.
He emphasized that the dismantling of drug labs and arrest of major traffickers reflects a sustained strategy aimed at disrupting drug cartels operating across Nigeria. Marwa warned that more coordinated operations would follow, stressing that traffickers “hiding in the dark” will continue to be hunted and brought to justice.
