NDLEA Warns on the Danger of Medicinal Cannabis

..Insists All Forms of Cannabis Are Destructive, Remain Banned in Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has alerted the general public about the circulation of dangerous illicit substances being falsely packaged and marketed to the public as medicinal cannabis.

A statement by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi on Wednesday said the public alert comes on the heels of credible intelligence, which led to the arrest of a 28-year-old drug kingpin Afeez Salisu (a.k.a Malu) last Saturday at his 2 Akala Street, off Umoru Street, Idi Oro, Mushin, Lagos State enclave from where he was packaging and distributing the fake medicinal cannabis in designer pouches and cups.

Babafemi disclosed that a total of 16.4 kilogrammes of dangerous and synthetic strains of cannabis including Colorado, Arizona, Canadian Loud and Ghana Loud packaged in designer pouches and cups labelled as medicinal cannabis, were recovered from his store.

​He said: “The Agency therefore wishes to warn Nigerians especially the youth that these so-called medicinal products are, in reality, adulterated and highly potent strains of dangerous psychoactive substances, and are not the regulated, safe pharmaceutical preparations they are purported to be.

​“Investigations by the agency have confirmed that the seized and recovered products being peddled under the guise of therapeutic cannabis contain dangerously high concentrations of illicit and harmful strains of cannabis, including Loud, known for its extreme potency and severe psychological effects; Arizona, a highly concentrated and destructive variant of cannabis; and Colorado, a potent, often synthetic, strain with devastating consequences on the user’s mental and physical health.”

​He added that: “Rather than the purported medicinal cannabis in the designer pouches and cups, the strains are highly addictive and pose a significant, immediate threat to public health and safety because they are associated with severe mental health issues, including psychosis, acute anxiety, paranoia, and other long-term cognitive impairments, especially among young people.”

​Speaking on the development, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) stated that “the criminal elements behind this deceit are only exploiting the global conversation around medicinal cannabis to push their illicit and life-destroying products into our communities. He reiterated that cannabis remains a prohibited substance in Nigeria and as such any product being sold locally under the guise of ‘medicinal cannabis’ is not only fake, and dangerous but also illegal.”

​The NDLEA boss urged the public to be vigilant and not be deceived by misleading labels, fancy packaging, or false health claims. He added that: “Please do not consume it, report any person or group involved in the illicit trade of these dangerous substances to the nearest NDLEA office.”

NDLEA Warns on the Danger of Medicinal Cannabis

Troops humiliate ISWAP in Malam Fatori, neutralized several fighters as it repel dawn attack

By: Zagazola Makama

In the predawn calm of Mallamfatori, a strategic town on the fringes of Lake Chad, troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and the Nigerian Army stood their ground against one of the most daring attacks launched recently by ISWAP fighters.

Zagazola report that at about 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, terrorists targeted Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kangar with a coordinated assault involving armed drones, mortar shelling and rapid ground movement. The assault was clearly intended to overwhelm the base and inflict mass casualties.

According to sources, the troops supported by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) absorbed the initial barrage, reorganised and pushed back fiercely. A reinforcement team from the main battalion swiftly joined the fight, mounting a counteroffensive.

What followed was a brief, intense firefight that shattered the attackers’ momentum. The attack was decisively repelled. Troops’ morale and combat efficiency remain high,” a senior field commander said.

The decisive turnaround came when Nigerien ground attack platforms joined the fight from the MNJTF axis, striking the terrorists’ firing positions. The joint force counter-assault forced the attackers to abandon their assault plan and flee toward the waterways of the Tumbuns.

Troops immediately conducted exploitation of the battlefield, confirming six terrorists neutralised and recovering a significant cache of weapons.

Recovered items include:5 x AK-47 rifles, 8 x AK-47 magazines, 258 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 5 x RPG bombs, 4 x armed drone bombs and 5 x 36 hand grenades.

Several other bodies of terrorists were seen being evacuated by their fleeing comrades, indicating a higher casualty figure on the enemy side.

As the terrorists attempted to retreat deeper into the Tumbuns, the Nigerien Air Force conducted additional air strikes, targeting clustered movements detected by surveillance feeds. The strikes reportedly neutralised “additional scores” of the fleeing fighters.

Despite the use of armed drones a worrying trend and a sign of evolving terrorist tactics troops of FOB Kangar successfully held the line.

Some soldiers and CJTF members sustained injuries from the initial drone and mortar strikes, but Zagazola gathered that they were promptly evacuated using MNJTF air platforms for medical attention.

Sources added that all the wounded personnel are in stable condition.

n the larger context, Mallamfatori and the Lake Chad islands remain one of the most fiercely contested spaces in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Control of the waterways is critical to cutting off insurgent logistics, arms supply routes and cross-border movement.

However, the response by troops and multinational partners equally demonstrates that the days of unchallenged freedom of movement for terrorists around the border axis are steadily closing. As one soldier told said shortly after the assault:

“We are here to hold this ground. No retreat.”

Zagazola reports that operations are ongoing in the general area, with ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) platforms maintaining aerial dominance to track residual threats.
End

NDLEA busts clandestine Colos lab in Lagos
…Arrests music artist; Steady Boy for dug related offense

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a clandestine laboratory where Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis is being produced in a residential building.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday, said the laboratory is located at Ajao estate, Isolo, Lagos state and during the clampdown, large quantities of freshly cooked Colos and various precursor chemicals for drug production were recovered, adding that the 30-year-old lab owner, Kelechi Imoh was arrested.

He noted that the discovery followed months of intelligence gathering on possible Colos laboratories in Lagos after NDLEA officers intercepted consignments of freshly produced Colos in March and May 2025 in the state, a development that suggested that the dangerous psychoactive substance, which was hitherto imported into the country, was now locally produced.

He said the effort paid off last Thursday when NDLEA officers raided the residential apartment in Ajao estate, Isolo, Lagos state which Imoh converted to a laboratory for cooking Colos, a strain of cannabis produced with the psychoactive plant and various chemicals.

Recovered from the apartment include: freshly cooked Colos weighing 16.2 kilogrammes; ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol -1.7 kilogrammes; Potassium Carbonate -4.5 kilogrammes and Dibromobutane – 91 litres.

Babafemi said in another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday raided the enclave of a 28-year-old drug dealer Afeez Salisu (alias Malu) in Mushin where 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis as well as designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4 kilogrammes were recovered from him.

He said a music artist Godspower George Osahenrumwen whose stage name is Steady Boy was last Thursday arrested by NDLEA operatives while attempting to take delivery of a large consignment of Loud, a strain of cannabis concealed inside three cartons of bathtub imported along with other items such as cloths and gadgets from New York, United States.

He revealed that the arrest followed the seizure of the shipment which arrived the import shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos from US aboard a DHL flight last Tuesday.

Babafemi said the 20-year-old music artist was nabbed at Bougain Villa, Primewater Gardens 2, Freedom way, Lekki Lagos when he showed up as the consignee to take delivery of the 140 bags of Loud with a gross weight of 77.2 kilogrammes on behalf of a syndicate, which includes his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie (a.k.a Zee Money) who is currently at large.

In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja – Jos highway on Sunday 26th October intercepted a consignment of 84,710 capsules of tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra state and heading to Bauchi. A follow up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the recipient Musa Abdulkarim, 27.

Babafemi said two days later, on Tuesday, operatives at the tollgate along Abuja – Kaduna highway arrested Hamza Musa, 47, conveying 32, 946 bottles of Akuskura, a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) from Lagos, while Saidu Nafiu, 30, was nabbed with 131.5 kilogrammes skunk at Kamfanin Zangon Aya, Igabi local government area, Kaduna.

Babafemi revealed that three suspects: Seun Olaniyi, 24; Rauf Asogba, 28; and Ayinla Adeniyi, 50, were last Saturday arrested at Abeokuta, Ogun state after a team of NDLEA officers tracked their movement from Benin Republic and eventually intercepted their bus along Abiola way, Abeokuta, with a total 1,779 kilogrammes skunk recovered from them.

He said while Jamilu Mustapha (a.k.a Last Card), 46, was arrested with 596.4 kilogrammes skunk at Nasaru town, Ningi local government area, Bauchi State last Wednesday, no fewer than 532,600 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered from the trio of Halilu Amiru; Rabiu Maikudi and Ibrahim Mati in a truck marked KTG- 791 ZZ at Oko-olowo, Ilorin, Kwara state same day.

In Edo state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Okhokho – Isi community in Uhunmwode local government area last Wednesday intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses marked EPE 545 EV and ABC 142 CD conveying a total of 1,455 kilogrammes skunk following credible intelligence.

He said in like manner, operatives in Ondo state last Tuesday recovered a total of 2,829 kilogrammes skunk linked to a 32-year-old female suspect Mrs. Ige Olarewaju from two locations at Ayede, Ogbese, while another suspect Samuel Adebayo was nabbed with 737 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance at Adegbola junction, Akure.

No less than 76.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture of black currant, skunk and opioids were seized from a suspect Ige Oluwale, 50, who was arrested by NDLEA officers at Ibereko, Bagadry, Lagos last Friday, while a total of 30,370 pills of tramadol and 177 grammes of methamphetamine were recovered from the duo of Musbahu Abdullahi, 28; and Saleiman Ahmed, 25, following their arrest at Wukari, Taraba state by operatives last Thursday when they were conveying the drugs from Onitsha, Anambra state to Yola, Adamawa state.

Babafemi said commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), while commending the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Edo, Kwara, Ogun, Taraba, Ondo, Seme, and Bauchi commands as well as their compatriots across the country for their resilience, professionalism and balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the country, vowed that the agency will continue to target and dismantle every identified drug syndicate in any part of Nigeria while denying them of the benefits of the proceeds of their criminal trade by ensuring that they forfeit all their traceable assets to the Federal Government.

NDLEA busts clandestine Colos lab in Lagos