…. Forfeits N1.8M, Other Items To FG
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos presided over by Justice Akitoye Aluko today convicted and sentenced one Yusuf Abayomi Azeez and Kekere-Ekun Abideen to various terms of imprisonment for engaging in unlawful production of harmful chemicals used in the production of various hard drugs.
Justice Aluko sentenced Azeez to Eighteen years imprisonment and Abideen to Sixteen years imprisonment or an option of N10m fine each in lieu of terms of imprisonment.
The judge further ruled that Azeez should forfeit the sum of N 1,850,000 alongside other items found at his reside nce during a search by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement agency.
When the matter came up for trial today, counsel to the NDLEA, Mr Abu Ibrahim told Justice Akintayo Aluko that the prosecution has a five counts charge pending before the court and urged the court to order that the charge be read so that the defendants can take their plea.
The charge was then read on the order of the court and the defendants pleaded guilty to same.
According to the charge, the defendants both male were alleged to have on or about the 6th day of November 2025 at No. 19, Vincent Eku Street, off Ashela Street, Royal Estate, Ogombo, Lagos State, a place used as Clandestine Laboratory, without lawfu! authority engaged in the production/manufacture of 9.9kilograms of MOMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid, a Narcotic Orug, similar to Cocaine, Heroin, LSD.
They were also alleged to have on the same day place and time without lawful authority engaged in the production/manufacture of 9.9kilograms of MOMB-4en-PINACA,
26.183kilograms of ADB CHMINACA, 300Grams of (R) SF MDMB and 20 Grams of 4FLUORO BUTINA.
Following the guilty plea of the defendants the facts of the case was reviewed by the prosecution by tendering relevant exhibits and documents after which Abu asked the court to convict the defendants based on their guilty plea and evidence adduced by the prosecution.
Justice Aluko after reviewing the evidence adduced by the prosecution and the guilty plea of the defendants convicted them as charged.
In his allocutus, counsel to the defendants Chief Benson Ndakara plead for mercy, asking the court to take the early plea of guilt by the convicts as a sign of remorse.
Ndakara said the convicts have no previous record of conviction, urging the court to award a reformatory sentence on the convicts. He further urged the court to temper justice with mercy adding that the convicts have learnt their lesson.
In his judgement , Justice Aluko sentence the first convicts to five years imprisonment on count one, two year on count 2, six year on count 3,two years on count 4 and three years on count 5.
The trial judge also sentence the second convict, Abideen to five imprisonment on count 1, two years on count 2, three years on count 3, three years on count 4 and three years on count 5.
Justice Aluko however, gave the convicts an option of N10 million fine each and ruled that the sentence shall run concurrently.
It would be recalled that NDLEA had on November 6 this year announced a major breakthrough in the fight against hard drug when the agency burst a Colorado laboratory in Lagos after months of intelligence gathering and surveillance when operatives of NDLEA successfully arrested the notorious wanted drug lord, Yusuf Abayomi Azeez at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos while on his way to Saudi Arabia to perform Lesser hajj known as Umurah.
According to a statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Azeez established a drug laboratory in Lagos after he was previously charged with drug offences in the United Kingdom.
The statement reads, “A wanted drug lord 40-year-old Yussuf Abayomi Azeez has been arrested by operatives of a special operations unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos while on his way to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, a holy pilgrimage, after months of intelligence and surveillance on him and his criminal drug activities.
“The drug kingpin had been arrested and charged for drug offences in the United Kingdom, but jumped bail and escaped to Nigeria. Soon after settling down in Lagos, he set up a massive clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area of the state for the production of Colorado, a deadly synthetic cannabis and other illicit substances.
It added, “At about 6:30 am on Thursday, 6th November 2025, Yussuf 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 swiftly driven to his 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, clandestine laboratory, which has been under surveillance for a while. At the time of his arrest, Yussuf was found in the company of another suspect, 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun.
“Inside the massive building, operatives from the Agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring were able to dismantle all installed laboratory equipment, precursor chemicals and already produced illicit substances, including Colorado, all weighing 148.3 kilograms.”
The charge against the convicts reads:
Count:
That you Yussuf Abayoml Azeez and Kekere-Ekun Abideen both male, adults on or about the 6th day of November 2025 at No. 19, Vincent Eku Street, off Ashela Street, Royal Estate, Ogombo, Lagos State, a place used as Clandestine Laboratory, without lawful authority engaged in the production/manufacture of 9.9kilograms of MOMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid, a Narcotic drug, similar to Cocaine, Heroin, LSD and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to section 20 (1}(a) and punishable under section 20 (2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Count 2
That you Yussuf Abayomi Azeez and Kekere-Ekun Abideen both male, adults on or about the 6th day of November 2025 at No. 19, Vincent Eku Street, off Ashela Street, Royal Estate, Ogombo, Lagos State, a place used as Clandestine Laboratory, without lawful authority engaged in the production/manufacture of 600 Grams of ISOTONITAZENE, a synthetic Opioid, a Narcotic Drug, similar to Cocaine, Heroin, LSD and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to section 20(1)(a) and punishable under section 20 (2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Count 3
That you Yussuf Abayomi Azeez and Kekere-Ekun Abideen both male, adults on or about the 6th day of November 2025 at No. 19, Vincent Eku Street, off Ashela Street, Royal Estate, Ogombo, Lagos State, a place used as Clandestine Laboratory, without lawful authority engaged in the production/manufacture of 26.183kilograms of ADB CHMINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid, a Narcotic Drug, similar to Cocaine, Heroin, LSD and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to section 20(1}{a) and punishable under section 20 (2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Count 4
That you 1. Yussuf Abayomi Azeez and 2. Kekere-Ekun Abideen both male, adults on or about the 6th November 2025 at No. 19, Vincent Eku Street, off Ashela Street, Royal Estate, Ogombo — Lagos State, a place used as Clandestine Laboratory, without lawful authority engaged in the production/manufacture of 300Grams of (R) SF MDMB, a synthetic cannabinoid, a Narcotic Drug, similar to Cocaine, Heroin, LSD and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to section 20(1)(a) and punishable under section 20 (2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Count 5
That you 1. Yussuf Abayomi Azeez and 2. Kekere-Ekun Abideen both male, adults on or about the 6th November 2025 at No. 19, Vincent Eku Street, off Ashela Street, Royal Estate, Ogombo, Lagos State, a place used as Clandestine Laboratory, without lawful authority engaged in the production/manufacture of 20 Grams of 4FLUORO BUTINA, a synthetic cannabinoid, a Narcotic Orug, similar to Cocaine, Heroin, LSD and you thereby committed an act which is an offence contrary to section 20(1)(a) and punishable under section 20 (2) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
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