Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against illicit drug production, uncovering a clandestine laboratory dedicated to manufacturing Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis. The sophisticated lab was discovered in a residential building located in Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos, following months of extensive intelligence gathering.

On October 30, 2025, NDLEA officers successfully raided the apartment, which had been converted into a drug production facility by its owner, 30-year-old Stephen Kelechi Imoh. The operation led to the immediate arrest of Imoh and the seizure of substantial quantities of freshly cooked Colorado, alongside various precursor chemicals essential for its synthesis. Recovered items included 16.2 kilogrammes of freshly cooked Colorado, 1.7 kilogrammes of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5 kilogrammes of Potassium Carbonate, and 91 litres of Dibromobutane. This discovery marks a critical shift, as it suggests that this dangerous psychoactive substance, previously imported into Nigeria, is now being locally manufactured within the country.

In other major operations across Lagos, NDLEA operatives continued their intensified efforts. On November 1, a raid on the enclave of 28-year-old drug dealer Afeez Salisu, also known as Malu, in Mushin, resulted in the recovery of 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, another potent strain of cannabis, along with designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing a combined 16.4 kilogrammes.

Further demonstrating the agency's vigilance, a music artiste, Godspower George Osahenrumwen, alias Steady Boy, was apprehended on October 30. He was caught attempting to take delivery of a large consignment of Loud, meticulously concealed within three cartons of bathtubs imported from New York, United States. The shipment, which arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, aboard a DHL flight on October 28, contained 140 bags of Loud with a gross weight of 77.20 kilogrammes. Osahenrumwen was nabbed at Bougain Villa, Primewater Gardens 2, Freedom Way, Lekki, Lagos, acting as the consignee for a syndicate that included his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie, also known as Zee Money, who currently remains at large.

Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operations spanned multiple states, yielding significant arrests and seizures. In Kaduna State, operatives on patrol along the Abuja/Jos highway on October 26 intercepted a consignment of 84,710 capsules of Tramadol originating from Onitsha, Anambra State, and destined for Bauchi. A subsequent follow-up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the recipient, 27-year-old Musa Abdulkarim. Two days later, on October 28, along the Abuja/Kaduna highway tollgate, 47-year-old Hamza Musa was arrested while conveying 32,946 bottles of Akuskura, a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS), from Lagos. On the same day, Saidu Nafiu, 30, was nabbed with 131.5 kilogrammes of skunk at Kamfanin Zangon Aya, Igabi Local Council, Kaduna.

Ogun State saw the arrest of three suspects—Seun Olaniyi, 24; Rauf Asogba, 28; and Ayinla Adeniyi, 50—on November 1 in Abeokuta. They were apprehended after a team tracked their movement from Benin Republic and intercepted their bus along Abiola Way, recovering a total of 1,779 kilogrammes of skunk.

In Bauchi State, 46-year-old Jamilu Mustapha, alias Last Card, was arrested on October 29 with 596.4 kilogrammes of skunk in Nasaru town, Ningi Local Council. On the same day in Kwara State, no fewer than 532,600 pills of Tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered from Halilu Amiru, Rabiu Maikudi, and Ibrahim Mati, who were transporting the drugs in a truck marked KTG- 791 ZZ at Oko-olowo, Ilorin.

Edo State operatives, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses (marked EPE 545 EV and ABC 142 CD) conveying a total of 1,455 kilogrammes of skunk along the Okhokho-Isi community in Uhunmwode Local Government Area on October 29.

Ondo State operations on October 28 led to the recovery of 2,829 kilogrammes of skunk linked to 32-year-old Mrs. Ige Olarewaju from two locations at Ayede, Ogbese. Additionally, Samuel Adebayo was arrested with 737 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance at Adegbola junction, Akure.

Back in Lagos, specifically Ibereko, Badagry, NDLEA officers on October 31 seized 76.5 litres of skuchies—a dangerous mixture of black currant, skunk, and opioids—from 50-year-old Ige Oluwale.

Finally, in Taraba State, on October 30, operatives arrested 28-year-old Musbahu Abdullahi and 25-year-old Saleiman Ahmed in Wukari, recovering 30,370 pills of Tramadol and 177 grammes of methamphetamine. They were transporting the drugs from Onitsha to Yola, Adamawa State.

Brig-Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, commended the resilience, professionalism, and balanced approach of officers and men nationwide in their drug control efforts. He reiterated the agency's commitment to continuously targeting and dismantling every identified drug syndicate across Nigeria, ensuring they are denied the proceeds of their criminal trade through asset forfeiture to the Federal Government.