By Solomon Odeniyi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has disclosed that a precursor chemical used in the production of fentanyl was discovered during the dismantling of a methamphetamine laboratory in a deep forest in Ogun State.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that has driven a wave of overdose deaths in the United States and other countries in recent years, and its precursor chemicals are tightly monitored internationally because small amounts can be used to produce large quantities of the drug.
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, synthetic opioids like fentanyl remained the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2025.
The deadly chemical was recovered in May 2026 after NDLEA operatives dismantled a massive, industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest spanning the Abidagba and Iroto communities in Ijebu East, Ogun State.
The raid led to 10 arrests, including three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians, and the seizure of 2.4 tonnes of meth and chemicals valued at over ₦480 billion.
In a statement released on Thursday by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed that the discovery was made possible through the use of forensic equipment provided to the NDLEA with the support of the US INL.
Marwa stated this while receiving the Country Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau of the United States, Derek Tolliver, who led a delegation of the US Government Accountability Office to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
He said the agency had relied on its forensic laboratories to analyse the chemicals recovered from the illicit laboratory and determine their intended use, which later revealed that one of the precursor chemicals recovered from the laboratory could be used in the production of fentanyl.
“With the seizure about two months ago and dismantlement of the meth lab in the deep forest of Ogun State, we relied on the forensic equipment to determine the precursor chemicals.
“And we discovered one of the precursor chemicals was in fact for the production of fentanyl, which is bad news. Nobody wants to hear that word,” the NDLEA chairman said.
Marwa explained that the fentanyl-related precursor constituted only a small part of the chemicals recovered from the laboratory, stressing that the discovery could have gone unnoticed without the modern forensic tools provided to the agency.
“It was just a small part of the precursor chemicals. Without these modern tools, that would have gone unnoticed,” he said.
He said the discovery underscored the importance of the forensic laboratories established and equipped with the support of the US government.
According to him, the INL had modernised the NDLEA’s forensic laboratory in Lagos and supported the establishment of additional laboratories in Abuja and Enugu to expand the agency’s capacity to analyse illicit drugs and precursor chemicals.
Marwa said the forensic laboratories had become central to the agency’s law enforcement operations, particularly in identifying substances recovered during drug investigations.
He commended the US government and its agencies, including the INL, Drug Enforcement Administration, AFRICOM and FBI, for their continued support to the NDLEA.
Earlier, Tolliver congratulated Marwa and the NDLEA on what he described as the agency’s recent operational successes.
He said the purpose of his visit was to strengthen the existing partnership between the US government and the NDLEA and build on previous INL-supported programmes.
“Lastly, I want to say big congratulations on all the successes over the past months with your leadership and under your leadership. It is phenomenal how much this organisation has grown,” Tolliver said.
He assured the NDLEA of the US Government’s commitment to continuing the partnership and advancing joint programme goals.
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