The agency also arrested a 56-year-old suspected drug trafficker who had reportedly lived in South Africa for more than two decades using a stolen identity.

Naija News reports that the development was disclosed on Sunday in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA headquarters, Femi Babafemi.

In a separate operation at the same airport, NDLEA operatives arrested an American professional basketball player over a 33.95kg shipment of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, allegedly imported from Thailand.

The agency also uncovered a factory used for the illegal production of firearms in Kaduna State and seized large quantities of illicit substances during operations across Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Edo and Osun states.

The methamphetamine suspect, identified as Omokan Isaac Babatope, whose real name is Chinedu Onwude, was arrested on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the arrival hall of Terminal II of the Lagos airport after returning from South Africa.

A search of his two travelling boxes led to the discovery of 25 parcels containing a white crystalline substance, which subsequently tested positive for methamphetamine. The drugs weighed a total of 25.05kg.

The substance had been carefully hidden inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals and cereal-based food products in an attempt to evade security checks.

The 56-year-old suspect reportedly holds Nigerian and South African passports and has lived in South Africa for more than 24 years.

During preliminary questioning, he allegedly confessed that he adopted the identity of Omokan Isaac Babatope after using forged documents to enter South Africa and had continued using the name ever since.

He further claimed that a South Africa-based man, identified as Obiora Okoye, contracted him to deliver the drugs to Nigeria for a payment of R20,000.

American basketball player arrested with 33.95kg of cannabis

The NDLEA statement also disclosed that operatives arrested a 28-year-old American citizen, Greene Da’monte Khiree, at the Lagos airport on Wednesday, November 11, following intelligence reports.

The suspect arrived in Lagos aboard an Emirates Airline flight from Thailand through Dubai. He was reportedly placed under discreet surveillance after arriving at the airport.

According to the agency, the suspect abandoned two checked-in bags and attempted to leave the airport with only his carry-on luggage. He was subsequently apprehended at the airport car park.

A search of the abandoned bags, which both carried his name tag, led to the recovery of 16 parcels of Loud from each bag, bringing the total to 32 parcels weighing 33.95kg. A tracking device was also recovered.

The suspect, who is from Savannah, Georgia, United States, reportedly told investigators that he had lived in Thailand since October 2025, where he played professional basketball.

He claimed he travelled to Nigeria for a holiday and to build networks for his basketball career. However, a forensic examination of his mobile phone allegedly revealed information indicating his knowledge of and involvement in the drug trafficking operation.

Other NDLEA operations across the country

In Lagos State, operatives arrested a 33-year-old man, Taiwo Adebayo Aderoju, during an intelligence-led operation at Ebute Metta on Tuesday, November 10. A total of 119.71kg of cannabis was recovered from him.

Another joint operation in the Ajah area on Saturday, November 14, led to the recovery of 78.8kg of cannabis, 2.5 litres of skuchies, 6.8 litres of codeine syrup, 23 grams of Rohypnol, 478 grams of tramadol, 10.6kg of nitrous oxide and 714 grams of pregabalin.

The substances were recovered from a silver Toyota Sienna allegedly abandoned by a suspect who fled after sighting the operatives.

In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives raided Sabon Garin Kangin on Monday, November 9, where they uncovered a factory used for the local production of firearms and arrested a 45-year-old suspect, Sagiru Musa.

Items recovered from the facility included 17 locally manufactured Dane guns, two pistols, 25 Dane gun pipes and other materials used in producing firearms.

On Friday, November 13, officers on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Jere intercepted a 31-year-old woman, Tabara Dauda, who was allegedly conveying 196 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and ₦675,000 in cash.

In another operation at Grace Land, Sabon Gari Local Government Area, on Wednesday, November 11, a 30-year-old man, Samson Chibuike Andebe, was arrested with 3,840 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 2.5kg.

The agency also recovered 499.3kg of skunk from two suspects, Celestine Chime, 34, and Chibueze Christ, 36, following a raid on their hideout in the Gonin-Gora area of Kaduna on Saturday, November 14.

In Ondo State, two suspects, Victor William, 42, and Akeem Azeez, 27, were arrested at Olabi village bush on Tuesday, November 10, after allegedly bringing out bags of cannabis for sale.

The suspects reportedly led operatives to their storage facility, where 50 bags of cannabis weighing 560kg were recovered.

On Friday, November 13, a raid on a cannabis farm in Ipele Forest led to the arrest of three suspects: Godwin Benson, 30; Muhammed Awwal, 34; and James Timothy, 18. A total of 122kg of the substance was recovered.

In Delta State, operatives arrested a 43-year-old woman, Esther Igba, at Alihame, Agbor, in Ika South Local Government Area, on Thursday, November 12. The operation led to the recovery of 255.670kg of cannabis and 1.5kg of cannabis seeds.

Earlier, on Tuesday, November 10, officers arrested 25-year-old Aaron Thomas, also known as Ibori, at Oguato, Ughelli South Local Government Area, after reportedly tracking him for more than six months.

The suspect was described by the agency as a major distributor of illicit drugs who operated a notorious bush bar. Items recovered from him included 360 grams of cannabis, 12.7 litres of codeine syrup, 500 grams of tramadol 100mg, 90 grams of tramadol 200mg, 215 grams of swinol and 135 grams of Molly (MDMA).

In Osun State, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Eze Chidiebere, 23, and Nwaoge Ugochukwu, 24, during an operation to destroy cannabis farms at Owena Forest Reserve. They were found with 86kg of cannabis.

In a related operation within the same forest reserve, a 40-year-old man, Ugwu Chukwuemeka, was arrested with 28kg of dried cannabis and 21kg of fresh cannabis leaves.

The agency also destroyed his 0.855-hectare cannabis farm, which was estimated to contain 2,137.5kg of the plant.

Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 39-year-old woman, Blessing Chukwudi, during a raid on Jamila Street, Ikpoba Hill, Benin City, on Tuesday, November 10.

The operation followed weeks of surveillance on suspected drug activities in the city. Officers recovered 22 compressed parcels of Loud weighing 14kg, alongside 65 grams of Colorado and 73 grams of methamphetamine.

NDLEA intensifies anti-drug campaigns

The agency also said its commands and formations across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities.

The outreach activities included enlightenment programmes at Poko Community Primary School, Poka, Epe, Lagos; Community Grammar School, Eyinni, Ibadan, Oyo State; Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, Ogun State; Presco High School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; and Federal Government Girls College, Efon Alaye, Ekiti State.

Other institutions visited were Obasanjo Modern Primary School, Jos, Plateau State, and Government Girls Secondary School, Sabon Garin Gaidam, Kano State.

The Ondo State Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Olu of Ilu Abo, Oba Olu Falae.

Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the personnel of the MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Ondo, Delta, Osun and Edo commands for their vigilance and professionalism.

Marwa noted that the discovery of methamphetamine hidden inside breakfast cereal packs demonstrated that no concealment method, no matter how sophisticated, could defeat the agency’s operatives.

He added that the discovery of the illegal firearms factory in Kaduna further highlighted the connection between illicit drugs and violent crime.

The NDLEA chief urged officers across the country to maintain the momentum in efforts to reduce both the supply of illicit drugs and the demand for them.