By Saminu Ibrahim
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 25.05 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in packs of assorted breakfast cereals imported from South Africa and arrested a 56-year-old Nigerian suspected of trafficking the illicit drug.
The agency also arrested an American professional basketball player over a 33.95kg shipment of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, imported from Thailand, while busting an illegal firearms factory in Kaduna State and recovering large quantities of illicit drugs across six states.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the methamphetamine suspect, identified as Omokan Isaac Babatope, whose real name is Chinedu Onwude, was arrested on Wednesday, November 11, at the arrival hall of Terminal II of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, shortly after arriving from South Africa.
A search of his two travelling bags reportedly led to the discovery of 25 parcels of methamphetamine weighing 25.05kg, carefully concealed inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals and cereal-based food products to evade security screening.
The 56-year-old suspect, who holds Nigerian and South African passports, reportedly confessed during preliminary interrogation that he had lived in South Africa for over 24 years using a stolen identity after entering the country with forged documents.
He allegedly told investigators that he was contracted by a South Africa-based man, Obiora Okoye, to deliver the consignment in Nigeria for R20,000.
In a related operation at the same airport on November 11, NDLEA operatives arrested a 28-year-old American citizen, Greene Da’monte Khiree, who arrived in Lagos aboard an Emirates flight from Thailand through Dubai.
The suspect reportedly abandoned his two checked-in bags upon arrival and attempted to leave the airport with only his hand luggage but was apprehended at the airport car park following discreet surveillance.
A search of the abandoned bags, which bore his name tags, revealed 32 parcels of Loud weighing 33.95kg, alongside a tracking device.
The suspect, a native of Savannah, Georgia, United States, reportedly told investigators that he had been living in Thailand since October 2025, where he played professional basketball, and had travelled to Nigeria on holiday to build networks for his basketball career.
A forensic examination of his mobile phone allegedly revealed information indicating his knowledge of and involvement in the drug trafficking operation.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recovered 119.71kg of cannabis from a 33-year-old suspect, Taiwo Adebayo Aderoju, during an intelligence-led operation at Ebute Metta, Lagos, on November 10.
In another operation in the Ajah area on November 14, operatives recovered 78.8kg of cannabis, 2.5 litres of skuchies, 6.8 litres of codeine syrup, 23 grammes of Rohypnol, 478 grammes of tramadol, 10.6kg of nitrous oxide and 714 grammes of pregabalin from an abandoned Toyota Sienna.
In Kaduna State, the agency said its operatives raided a suspected illegal firearms manufacturing factory at Sabon Garin Kangin on November 9, arresting a 45-year-old man, Sagiru Musa.
Items recovered included 17 locally fabricated Dane guns, two pistols, 25 Dane gun pipes and other materials allegedly used in the manufacture of firearms.
Similarly, a 31-year-old woman, Tabara Dauda, was arrested at Jere along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on November 13 with 196 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition and N675,000 cash.
Another suspect, Samson Chibuike Andebe, 30, was arrested at Grace Land, Sabon Gari Local Government Area, on November 11 with 3,840 tablets of tramadol weighing 2.5kg.
The agency also recovered 499.3kg of skunk from two suspects, Celestine Chime, 34, and Chibueze Christ, 36, during a raid on their hideout in the Gonin-Gora area on November 14.
In Ondo State, two suspects, Victor William, 42, and Akeem Azeez, 27, were arrested at Olabi village on November 10, leading to the recovery of 560kg of cannabis packed in 50 bags from their storage facility.
Three other suspects were arrested during a raid on a cannabis farm in Ipele Forest on November 13, where 122kg of the substance was recovered.
In Delta State, operatives arrested a 43-year-old woman, Esther Igba, at Alihame, Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area, on November 12, with 255.67kg of cannabis and 1.5kg of cannabis seeds.
Another suspect, Aaron Thomas, 25, also known as Ibori, was arrested at Oguato, Ughelli South Local Government Area, on November 10, following over six months of surveillance.
The agency described him as a major illicit drug distributor operating a notorious bush bar. Items recovered from him included cannabis, codeine syrup, tramadol, swinol and Molly, a form of MDMA.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Eze Chidiebere, 23, and Nwaoge Ugochukwu, 24, during a cannabis farm destruction exercise at Owena Forest Reserve, recovering 86kg of the substance.
Another suspect, Ugwu Chukwuemeka, 40, was arrested in the same forest reserve with 28kg of dried cannabis and 21kg of fresh cannabis leaves.
His 0.855-hectare cannabis farm, containing an estimated 2,137.5kg of the plant, was subsequently destroyed.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives arrested a 39-year-old woman, Blessing Chukwudi, during a raid on Jamila Street, Ikpoba Hill, Benin City, on November 10, following weeks of surveillance.
The raid led to the recovery of 22 compressed parcels of Loud weighing 14kg, 65 grammes of Colorado and 73 grammes of methamphetamine.
Beyond its enforcement operations, the agency said its commands across the country sustained public enlightenment campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.
The sensitisation activities were conducted in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities across several states, including Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Plateau and Kano.
The Ondo State Command also paid an advocacy visit to the Olu of Ilu Abo, Oba Olu Falae, as part of efforts to strengthen community support for the anti-drug campaign.
Commending officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Ondo, Delta, Osun and Edo commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), praised their vigilance and professionalism.
Marwa said the interception of methamphetamine concealed in breakfast cereals demonstrated that no concealment method, however sophisticated, could defeat the determination of the agency’s operatives.
He added that the discovery of the illegal firearms factory in Kaduna further highlighted the connection between illicit drug trafficking and violent crimes.
The NDLEA boss urged officers across the country to sustain the momentum in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
