|By Chinwendu Nwani
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have smashed a clandestine drug laboratory where Colorado—a potent synthetic strain of cannabis—was being illegally manufactured inside a residential building at Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the discovery followed months of intelligence gathering after officers intercepted shipments of freshly produced “Colos” earlier in March and May 2025. The agency confirmed that the psychoactive drug, once imported into Nigeria, is now being locally produced.
During the operation on Thursday, October 30, NDLEA operatives arrested the lab owner, Stephen Kelechi Imoh, 30, and recovered 16.2 kilograms of freshly cooked Colos, 1.7kg of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5kg of Potassium Carbonate, and 91 litres of Dibromobutane, all used in the production process.
In a separate sting operation on Saturday, November 1, operatives stormed the Mushin hideout of a notorious drug dealer, Afeez Salisu (alias Malu), and seized 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud and designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4kg.
Similarly, NDLEA officers arrested a 20-year-old music artist, Godspower George Osahenrumwen, known as Steady Boy, at Lekki while attempting to take delivery of 77.2kg of “Loud” cannabis concealed in cartons of bathtubs imported from New York. The consignment, which arrived via DHL at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, was linked to a fleeing syndicate member identified as Zion Osazee Omigie, also known as Zee Money.
In Kaduna, NDLEA patrol teams intercepted 84,710 capsules of Tramadol along the Abuja–Jos highway and arrested the recipient, Musa Abdulkarim, 27, in Bauchi. Another suspect, Hamza Musa, 47, was nabbed on the Abuja–Kaduna highway with 32,946 bottles of Akuskura, while Saidu Nafiu, 30, was caught with 131.5kg of skunk in Igabi LGA.
Further nationwide raids yielded multiple arrests:
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Ogun State: Three suspects—Seun Olaniyi, Rauf Asogba, and Ayinla Adeniyi—were caught transporting 1,779kg of skunk from Benin Republic.
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Bauchi State: Jamilu Mustapha (Last Card), 46, was arrested with 596.4kg of skunk, while another team seized 532,600 pills of Tramadol and Exol-5 from three suspects in Ilorin.
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Edo State: Two Sienna buses carrying 1,455kg of skunk were intercepted along Okhokho-Isi road.
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Ondo State: Operatives recovered 2,829kg of skunk from Mrs. Ige Olarewaju, 32, and 737kg from Samuel Adebayo in Akure.
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Badagry, Lagos: Ige Oluwale, 50, was arrested with 76.5 litres of “skuchies,” a cocktail of black currant, skunk, and opioids.
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Taraba State: Two couriers, Musbahu Abdullahi, 28, and Saleiman Ahmed, 25, were caught moving 30,370 pills of Tramadol and 177 grams of methamphetamine to Yola, Adamawa State.
Commending the agency’s operatives across commands, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their resilience and professionalism, vowing that the agency will continue to track, dismantle, and prosecute every drug syndicate while forfeiting their illicit assets to the Federal Government.
