The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized more than 2.3 tonnes of assorted illicit drugs in a series of operations across eight states, intercepting two shipments of Colorado, popularly known as Colos, from the United Kingdom and arresting several suspects linked to the consignments.
The seizures were recorded in Lagos, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa and Kano states, with NDLEA operatives uncovering various attempts to conceal and transport illicit substances, including consignments hidden inside music speakers and loaves of bread.
According to an official statement signed by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted a UK-inbound consolidated cargo containing 27 parcels of Colorado weighing 32.20kg.
A real estate agent, Abideen Jide Salami, was arrested on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, after he allegedly arrived at the airport to collect a large luggage containing the illicit substance using a secret collection code reportedly sent to him by his brother based in the UK.
In a follow-up operation linked to another UK consignment, NDLEA operatives traced the designated recipient and arrested 44-year-old Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri with another 12.25kg shipment of Colorado. The suspect reportedly told investigators that his brother in the UK sent the consignment.
The agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) also intercepted a music speaker rigged with three packs of Colorado at a motor park in Maza Maza, Lagos.
The consignment was allegedly being transported to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and ultimately Liberia. A 41-year-old tour agent, Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, and the owner of the consignment, 46-year-old Obasi Ugochuckwu, were arrested following a sting operation at a nearby eatery.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at Iddo Park, Lagos, arrested Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry on Friday, September 11, while he was allegedly attempting to dispatch 2.1kg of Colorado to Kano.
In Kano, the agency recorded one of its largest single seizures during a raid in Sabon Gari, where 20-year-old Saidu Adamu was arrested with 785,000 capsules of Pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.
A separate stop-and-search operation along the Zaria–Kano–Hadejia road led to the arrest of 28-year-old Habibu Sabitu after 1,700 tablets of diazepam were discovered concealed inside loaves of bread.
In Plateau State, 51-year-old Chinedu Uzor was arrested at Katako Market, Jos, with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.
The NDLEA also recorded significant seizures in Bayelsa and Kaduna states. In Bayelsa, four suspects, including 70-year-old Godwoman Gboriye, were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.
The other suspects were identified as Motombo Silver, 44; Pere Andrew, 39; and Keme Andrew, 43.
In Kaduna, a female suspect, Hannah Michael, was arrested at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis.
The agency sustained its crackdown on illicit cannabis cultivation in Edo State, where operatives destroyed 4,832.56kg of skunk recovered from cannabis farms at Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest in Ovia South West, Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas.
A 39-year-old suspect, Sunday Segun, was also arrested during the operation on Friday, September 11.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence raided a residence along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure, where they recovered 186kg of skunk concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon car marked ABJ 917 FV.
A 58-year-old suspect, Paul Ogbuwala, was arrested in connection with the consignment, which was allegedly destined for Jos for onward distribution.
Meanwhile, separate operations in Ughelli and Asaba, Delta State, resulted in the seizure of ampoules of pentazocine injection, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam, also known as Hypnox, and MDMA, popularly known as Molly.
Some of the substances were concealed inside music speakers, while two suspects, Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi, were arrested.
Beyond the seizures and arrests, the NDLEA said its commands and formations nationwide continued with War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation programmes in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of Mezube Islamiyya Academy in Tudun Wada, Kano, an advocacy visit to the management of Cross River State College of Health Technology, Calabar, and engagements with traditional rulers and community leaders in Plateau and Nasarawa states.
Commending officers and men of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, MMIA and the various state commands involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa charged them to continue shutting down the pipelines being used by drug cartels, whether through airports, seaports, land borders or the hinterland where cannabis is cultivated.
