NDLEA Arrests Wanted Drug Lord at Lagos Airport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 40-year-old wanted drug baron at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that the arrest was carried out by operatives of the agency’s special operations unit after months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on the suspect’s criminal activities.
According to Babafemi, the suspect had previously been arrested and charged with drug offences in the United Kingdom but jumped bail and fled to Nigeria.
“After settling down in Lagos, he established a large clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area for producing Colorado, a deadly synthetic cannabis, and other illicit substances.
“At about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 6, the suspect walked into the waiting hands of NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport while attempting to board his flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
“He was immediately taken to his 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki laboratory, which had been under surveillance for some time,” Babafemi said.
He added that another suspect was also arrested at the scene, and operatives from the Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring dismantled all laboratory equipment, precursor chemicals, and already produced substances weighing 148.3 kilograms.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies, discovered 105.5kg of Molly and 500 grams of methamphetamine during a joint examination at the Sifax bonded terminal in Okota, Lagos, on Friday.
Similarly, in Niger State, NDLEA officers intercepted a suspect driving a Volvo truck marked GRZ 872 XA along the Kainji-Wawa road on Thursday, November 6. The truck was loaded with 87,000 pills of tramadol and 72kg of skunk.
Reacting to the arrests, NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the operatives for dismantling another clandestine laboratory in Lekki barely a week after a similar operation in Ajao Estate, Lagos.
“This shows that these are no doubt the first in a series of many strikes against merchants of death who prey on the weak in our communities.
“Let it be known to those still hiding in the dark that the NDLEA, supported by our local and international law enforcement partners, will continue to hunt them and bring them to justice,” Marwa said.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
