The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted multiple UK-linked shipments of synthetic cannabis—popularly known as ‘Colos’—and uncovered a web of cross-border smuggling operations.
The illicit cargoes, which included drugs heavily concealed inside commercial music speakers, were tracked to transit hubs in Lagos, resulting in the immediate arrest of at least seven suspects.
The crackdown began at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, where NDLEA operatives intercepted a consolidated cargo hiding 27 parcels of ‘Colos’ weighing 32.20kg.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a real estate agent named Abideen Jide Salami was arrested at the scene. Salami had surfaced with a secret collection code relayed from his UK-based brother to clear the drug-laden luggage.
A swift follow-up operation exposed a second UK pipeline, leading operatives straight to 44-year-old Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri. He was arrested as the designated recipient of a separate 12.25kg shipment of Colorado, which he claimed was also sent by his brother in the UK. Simultaneously, operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) targeted local motor parks, intercepting a music speaker rigged with three packs of ‘Colos’ at Maza Maza, Lagos. The West African transit route was destined for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, before its final delivery to Liberia.
A swift undercover sting at a nearby restaurant resulted in the double arrest of 41-year-old tour agent Ifeanyi Obed Augustine and the consignment’s actual owner, Obasi Ugochukwu, 46.
The Kano Pipeline: At Iddo Park, operatives intercepted Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry as he attempted to dispatch a 2.1kg shipment of ‘Colos’ bound for Kano.
Meanwhile, Delta’s Pharmaceutical Haul: Twin raids across Ughelli and Asaba yielded a massive haul of restricted opioids—including pentazocine injections, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, hypnox, and Molly.
Operatives discovered several of these dangerous substances stuffed inside music speakers, leading to the arrest of suspects Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi.
Kano’s Bread & Pill Supply: In Sabon Gari, 20-year-old Saidu Adamu was caught with a staggering 785,000 capsules of Pregabalin weighing over 669kg.
Similarly, a highway stop-and-search along the Zaria–Kano–Hadejia road exposed a bizarre concealment strategy: 1,700 tablets of diazepam hidden inside loaves of bread, seized from 28-year-old Habibu Sabitu.
In Plateau, at the Katako market Jos, Chinedu Uzor, 51, was intercepted with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.
While in Edo Forest Destruction, Sustaining its war on local cultivation, the agency stormed cannabis plantations across the Usen, Igwe-Oke, and Ogboha forests.
Operatives destroyed 4,832.56 kilograms of skunk and arrested 39-year-old Sunday Segun at the scene.
The same succes was recorded in Ondo Boot Smuggling: Acting on credible intelligence, officers raided a residence along Ijoka Road, Akure. They intercepted 58-year-old Paul Ogbuwala as he prepared to transport 186kg of skunk packed into the boot of a Toyota Avalon, destined for onward distribution in Jos.
While in Kaduna & Bayelsa Nets: In Kaduna, a female suspect, Hannah Michael, was caught in Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis. Down south in Bayelsa, a raid in Yenagoa dismantled a four-person syndicate that included 70-year-old Godwoman Gboriye, alongside Motombo Silver (44), Pere Andrew (39), and Keme Andrew (43), seizing 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.
Beyond the high-profile raids, commands and formations across the country sustained aggressive momentum under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. Over the past week, the agency deployed grassroots sensitization campaigns directly into schools, workplaces, communities, and religious centers.
Key outreach milestones included:
Kano: Educational enlightenment lectures delivered to students and staff at the Mezube Islamiyya Academy in Tudun Wada.
In other engagements, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign gained significant momentum with strategic visits across the country. These included a high-profile session with the management of the Cross River State College of Health Technology in Calabar, and a crucial visit by the NDLEA Zone 4 Command to the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, in Nasarawa State.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA Academy in Jos hosted traditional rulers from the Rikkos community, who paid a gratitude visit to thank the agency for granting local residents access to its medical clinic.
Commending the officers of the DOGI, MMIA, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Kano Commands for these relentless breakthroughs, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel nationwide to maintain this aggressive momentum. He firmly enjoined them to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
Furthermore, he charged them to continue to shut every pipeline being used by drug cartels, whether at the airports, seaports, land borders, or in the hinterland where cannabis is cultivated.
