The NDLEA Colos crackdown has uncovered 44.45kg of synthetic cannabis from UK shipments, while officers recovered drugs hidden inside bread and music speakers in Lagos and Kano.
LAGOS, NIGERIA — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted two consignments containing 44.45kg of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Colorado or Colos, from the United Kingdom, while officers also recovered illicit drugs hidden inside music speakers and loaves of bread.
According to the NDLEA, officers intercepted 27 parcels weighing 32.20kg at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, while a second UK consignment contained another 12.25kg. The agency said it arrested suspects linked to both shipments during follow-up operations.
Reviews by Newstridez show that the latest operation formed part of a wider nationwide crackdown in which NDLEA officers also recovered opioids, cannabis and other controlled substances in Delta, Kano, Plateau, Edo, Ondo, Kaduna and Bayelsa states. The agency reported several arrests during the operations conducted in the week ending September 13, 2026.
At the Lagos airport, the agency said real estate agent Abideen Jide Salami arrived to collect a large luggage containing the first consignment after receiving a secret collection code from his brother based in the UK. NDLEA said officers arrested him on September 9, 2026, during the operation.
The agency said a second investigation led to Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, 44, who allegedly served as the recipient of another 12.25kg consignment. According to NDLEA, Kadiri told investigators that his brother in the UK sent the package. The agency has not said what further action the investigation may take against the alleged senders abroad.
The crackdown extended beyond the airport. NDLEA operatives recovered three packs of Colorado concealed inside a music speaker at a motor park in Maza-Maza, Lagos. The agency said the package was heading to Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire before its alleged final destination in Liberia.
Following the seizure, officers arrested tour agent Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, 41, and the alleged owner of the consignment, Obasi Ugochukwu, 46. NDLEA said officers carried out a sting operation at a nearby eatery, where the two suspects were arrested.
Another operation at Iddo Park in Lagos led to the arrest of Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry on September 11. NDLEA said officers caught him while he allegedly attempted to dispatch 2.1kg of Colorado to Kano, adding another suspected trafficking route to the investigation.
In Kano, however, the agency uncovered another method of concealing drugs. Officers conducting a stop-and-search operation along the Zaria-Kano-Hadejia Road recovered 1,700 tablets of diazepam hidden inside loaves of bread. NDLEA said officers arrested Habibu Sabitu, 28, in connection with the consignment.
The Kano operation also produced one of the largest individual pharmaceutical drug seizures in the latest nationwide operation. NDLEA said officers arrested 20-year-old Saidu Adamu in Sabon Gari with 785,000 capsules of pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.
The agency said officers also arrested 51-year-old Chinedu Uzor at Katako Market in Jos, Plateau State, with 157,100 capsules of tramadol. The separate seizures show that the latest NDLEA operation went beyond cannabis and targeted several categories of controlled medicines and psychoactive substances.
In Delta State, NDLEA reported seizures of pentazocine injections, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam, also known as Hypnox, and MDMA, popularly called Molly. The agency said some of the substances were also concealed inside music speakers.
Two suspects, Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi, were arrested during the Delta operations, according to the agency. The use of ordinary household and commercial items to conceal controlled substances has become a recurring feature in several NDLEA seizures across the country.
Newstridez reviewed the agency’s latest operational report and found that officers also destroyed 4,832.56kg of skunk, a form of cannabis, during operations on farms in three forest locations in Edo State. The agency said the operations covered Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest across Ovia South-West, Owan East and Owan West local government areas.
During the Edo operation, NDLEA arrested 39-year-old Sunday Segun on September 11. In Ondo State, officers later recovered 186kg of skunk allegedly concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure.
NDLEA identified the Ondo suspect as 58-year-old Paul Ogbuwala. The agency said officers recovered the cannabis from the vehicle and arrested Ogbuwala after intelligence led them to the residence. It alleged that the consignment was intended for movement to Jos for onward distribution.
In Kaduna, NDLEA said officers arrested Hannah Michael at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis. Bayelsa officers also arrested four suspects at Ovom in Yenagoa after recovering 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.
The Bayelsa suspects included 70-year-old Godwoman Gboriye, alongside Motombo Silver, 44, Pere Andrew, 39, and Keme Andrew, 43, according to the agency. The arrests add to the growing number of suspects detained during the latest nationwide drug-control operations.
The seizures carry wider implications for Nigerian communities because several of the recovered substances are controlled medicines that can cause serious harm when used without medical supervision. The large quantities also point to organised distribution networks rather than isolated possession, although the courts will ultimately determine the culpability of the arrested suspects.
The UK-linked Colorado seizures are also significant because NDLEA continues to monitor Nigeria’s international cargo channels for drug trafficking. The agency has previously intercepted cocaine, cannabis and opioids concealed in packages moving between Nigeria, the UK, Europe, Asia and other destinations.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers involved in the latest operations. He urged them to keep disrupting trafficking routes at airports, seaports, land borders and inland locations where cannabis cultivation takes place.
The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, awareness campaign during the week, taking sensitisation activities to schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities. NDLEA said the activities included programmes in Kano, Cross River, Plateau and Nasarawa states.
The latest seizures show the different methods traffickers allegedly use to move drugs through Nigeria. From consolidated cargo arriving from the UK to speakers, vehicles and bread used as concealment points, investigators are dealing with several routes at once.
However, the arrests announced by NDLEA remain allegations until the suspects face trial and courts determine their cases. The agency’s statements describe the circumstances of the arrests and seizures, but guilt can only follow due process.
As at the time of filing this report, NDLEA had confirmed the seizure of 44.45kg of Colorado from two UK-linked consignments, alongside drugs concealed in music speakers and bread and hundreds of kilograms of other illicit substances recovered across several states. The agency said investigations into the suspects and trafficking networks were continuing.
The latest operation reinforces the agency’s push to block both international and domestic drug routes. For Nigerians, the concern now extends beyond the quantity seized to the networks behind the shipments, as NDLEA continues efforts to trace suppliers, recipients and distributors involved in the illegal trade.
