The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 25.05 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in packs of assorted breakfast cereals imported from South Africa through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The operation also led to the arrest of a 56-year-old Nigerian suspected of drug trafficking, who allegedly lived in South Africa for more than two decades using a stolen identity.
The NDLEA disclosed the development in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the agency, the suspect, identified as Omokan Isaac Babatope, whose real name is Chinedu Onwude, was arrested on November 11, 2026, shortly after arriving from South Africa.
A search of his two travelling boxes reportedly uncovered 25 parcels of a white crystalline substance weighing 25.05kg, which tested positive for methamphetamine. The drugs were allegedly hidden inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals and cereal-based products to evade security checks.
Investigations reportedly revealed that the suspect had used forged documents to obtain a different identity in South Africa, where he had lived for over 24 years. He allegedly told investigators that a South Africa-based individual contracted him to deliver the consignment in Nigeria for R20,000.
In a separate operation at the same airport, NDLEA operatives arrested a 28-year-old American professional basketball player, Greene Da’monte Khiree, over the alleged importation of 33.95kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from Thailand.
The suspect reportedly abandoned two checked-in bags and attempted to leave the airport with only his hand luggage. However, operatives who had placed him under surveillance arrested him at the airport car park.
A search of the abandoned luggage allegedly uncovered 32 parcels of Loud and a tracking device. The suspect reportedly claimed he had been living in Thailand since October 2025, where he played professional basketball, and had travelled to Nigeria on holiday.
Beyond the airport interceptions, the agency reported several operations across Lagos, Kaduna, Ondo, Delta, Edo and Osun states, resulting in the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs and the arrest of multiple suspects.
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In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives uncovered a facility allegedly used for the illegal manufacture of firearms in Sabon Garin Kangin. The operation led to the arrest of a 45-year-old suspect, Sagiru Musa, and the recovery of 17 locally made Dane guns, two pistols, 25 Dane gun pipes and other suspected firearm-manufacturing materials.
Operatives also intercepted a woman, Tabara Dauda, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 196 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and N675,000 cash.
In Lagos, officers recovered 119.71kg of cannabis from a suspect in Ebute Metta, while another operation in Ajah yielded cannabis, codeine syrup, Rohypnol, tramadol, pregabalin and other substances.
Other seizures included 560kg of cannabis in Ondo, 255.67kg in Delta, 499.3kg in Kaduna and additional quantities of cannabis and other illicit substances in Edo and Osun states.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised their vigilance and professionalism.
Marwa described the interception of methamphetamine concealed in breakfast cereal packs as evidence that traffickers could no longer rely on concealment methods to evade detection.
He also stressed the connection between illicit drug trafficking and violent crimes, particularly following the discovery of the alleged illegal firearms factory in Kaduna.
The NDLEA chairman urged officers across the country to sustain efforts to curb the supply and demand for illicit drugs.
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