NDLEA uncovers colos lab in Lagos, arrests musician over drug imports

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a clandestine laboratory producing Colorado (Colos), a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, in a residential building at Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos.

The operation led to the arrest of a 30-year-old suspect, Stephen Kelechi Imoh, and the recovery of large quantities of freshly processed Colos and precursor chemicals used in its production.

According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the discovery followed months of surveillance after earlier interceptions of locally made Colos in Lagos, suggesting that the once-imported substance was now being produced within the country.

During the raid on October 30, 2025, operatives recovered 16.2 kilograms of freshly cooked Colos, 1.7 kilograms of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5 kilograms of Potassium Carbonate, and 91 litres of Dibromobutane.

In a separate operation, NDLEA officers on November 1 stormed the hideout of a 28-year-old drug dealer, Afeez Salisu (alias Malu), in Mushin, Lagos, seizing 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud and designer sachets of Colorado weighing 16.4 kilograms.

The agency also arrested a 20-year-old music artist, Godspower George Osahenrumwen, known by his stage name Steady Boy, for attempting to take delivery of a large consignment of Loud concealed inside three cartons of bathtubs imported from the United States.

The drugs, weighing 77.2 kilograms, were intercepted at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) and traced to the artist’s residence in Lekki.

His manager, Zion Osazee Omigie (alias Zee Money), is currently on the run.

NDLEA operatives also made multiple arrests across other states. In Kaduna, patrol officers intercepted 84,710 capsules of tramadol and arrested Musa Abdulkarim, the recipient, in a follow-up operation in Bauchi.

Two days later, officers at the Abuja–Kaduna highway arrested Hamza Musa with 32,946 bottles of Akuskura, while Saidu Nafiu was caught with 131.5 kilograms of skunk in Igabi LGA.

In Ogun State, three suspects—Seun Olaniyi, Rauf Asogba, and Ayinla Adeniyi—were arrested along Abiola Way, Abeokuta, with 1,779 kilograms of skunk after being tracked from Benin Republic.

The crackdown continued in Edo State, where officers intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses transporting 1,455 kilograms of skunk, and in Ondo State, where 2,829 kilograms of skunk were recovered from locations linked to a 32-year-old woman, Mrs. Ige Olarewaju.

Another suspect, Samuel Adebayo, was caught with 737 kilograms of the same substance in Akure.

In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives seized 532,600 pills of tramadol and Exol-5, while in Bauchi, Jamilu Mustapha was arrested with 596.4 kilograms of skunk.

In Taraba, two suspects—Musbahu Abdullahi and Saleiman Ahmed—were apprehended with 30,370 pills of tramadol and 177 grams of methamphetamine en route to Yola, Adamawa State.

Meanwhile, the agency continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across the country with sensitization programmes in schools and communities in Lagos, Oyo, Sokoto, Jigawa, and Kano states.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the operatives for their professionalism and resilience, pledging that the agency will intensify efforts to dismantle drug cartels and ensure the forfeiture of all assets linked to the illicit trade.

“We will continue to target and dismantle every identified drug syndicate in any part of Nigeria while denying them the benefits of their criminal trade,” Marwa vowed.