NDLEA Arrests American Basketballer with Illicit Drugs at Lagos Airport
- NDLEA operatives intercepted 25.05kg of methamphetamine concealed inside packs of breakfast cereals at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos
- The suspect, a 56-year-old man resident in South Africa for over 24 years, was found to be travelling under a stolen Nigerian identity
- In a separate operation at the same airport, an American professional basketball player was arrested over a 33.95kg cannab1s shipment from Thailand
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Ikeja, Lagos State - Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 56-year-old Nigerian man at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, after recovering 25.05 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside packs of breakfast cereals imported from South Africa.
The suspect, who had been travelling as Omokan Isaac Babatope, was taken into custody on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the arrival hall of Terminal II after returning from South Africa.
Source: Twitter
A search of his two travelling bags turned up 25 parcels of a white crystalline substance, confirmed by tests to be methamphetamine, with a combined weight of 25.05kg.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement issued via the agency's X handle @ndlea_nigeria on Sunday, Nove,ber 15, 2026.
The parcels had been packed inside assorted breakfast cereal products in an attempt to evade security screening.
Suspect lived under stolen identity for over 2 decades
During questioning, the suspect revealed that his real name is Chinedu Onwude.
He admitted to entering South Africa using forged documents more than 24 years ago and adopting the name Omokan Isaac Babatope, an identity he continued to use ever since. He holds both Nigerian and South African passports.
Onwude told NDLEA operatives that a South Africa-based associate, identified as Obiora Okoye, hired him to bring the drug consignment into Nigeria.
He was offered Twenty Thousand South African Rands (R20,000) to deliver the shipment.
Basketball player, illegal arms factory among other busts
In a separate operation at the same Lagos airport, NDLEA arrested an American professional basketball player over a 33.95kg shipment of Loud, a high-potency strain of cannab1s, which had been imported from Thailand.
Beyond the airport arrests, NDLEA operatives dismantled a factory producing illegal firearms in Kaduna.
Raids carried out across Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Edo, and Osun states also resulted in the seizure of large quantities of assorted illicit substances.
Ugandan woman arrested at Lagos airport with illicit drugs
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, was intercepted at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on November 3, 2026.
Nansubuga had travelled to Nigeria with her church for a prayer session at SCOAN but stayed behind after her delegation returned to Uganda.
NDLEA operatives found 87 wraps of coca1ne weighing 1.150kg strapped beneath two layers of underwear around her pelvic region.
Source: Legit.ng
