Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a clandestine laboratory where Colorado (popularly known as Colos), a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, was being produced inside a residential building in Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the operation followed months of intelligence gathering after the interception of Colos consignments earlier in the year, which hinted that local production had begun. The raid, conducted on Thursday, October 30, 2025, led to the arrest of 30-year-old lab owner, Stephen Kelechi Imoh, and the recovery of 16.2kg of freshly cooked Colos, 1.7kg of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5kg of Potassium Carbonate, and 91 litres of Dibromobutane, among other precursor chemicals.
In another Lagos operation, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, November 1, stormed the Mushin hideout of a notorious dealer, Afeez Salisu (alias Malu), where 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud and designer sachets of Colorado weighing 16.4kg were recovered.
The agency also arrested a music artist, Godspower George Osahenrumwen, known by his stage name Steady Boy, after he attempted to collect a large consignment of Loud cannabis concealed in three cartons of bathtubs imported from New York, United States. The consignment, weighing 77.2kg, was seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, aboard a DHL flight. NDLEA said the 20-year-old artist was arrested at Bougain Villa, Primewater Gardens 2, Lekki, while taking delivery on behalf of a syndicate involving his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie (a.k.a Zee Money), who is now on the run.
The week-long nationwide operations also produced major drug seizures and arrests across several states. In Kaduna, operatives intercepted 84,710 capsules of Tramadol and arrested Musa Abdulkarim, while follow-up operations led to the recovery of 32,946 bottles of Akuskura and 131.5kg of skunk.
Similarly, in Ogun State, three suspects Seun Olaniyi, Rauf Asogba, and Ayinla Adeniyi were nabbed with 1,779kg of skunk traced from Benin Republic to Abeokuta.
In Edo, officers seized 1,455kg of skunk from two Sienna buses in Uhunmwode Local Government Area, while in Ondo, another 2,829kg linked to a female suspect, Mrs. Ige Olarewaju, was recovered in Ayede, Ogbese. Additional arrests were recorded in Kwara, Bauchi, and Taraba States, with tons of illicit substances, including skuchies, tramadol, and methamphetamine, seized from multiple suspects.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their professionalism and resilience, pledging continued efforts to dismantle drug syndicates across the country. He vowed that all identified traffickers would not only be prosecuted but also be made to forfeit their assets to the Federal Government.
“We will continue to target and dismantle every identified drug syndicate in any part of Nigeria and deny them the benefits of their criminal trade,” Marwa stated.
Meanwhile, NDLEA formations nationwide sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaign with outreach programmes in schools, worship centres, and communities across Oyo, Lagos, Sokoto, Jigawa, and Kano States.
