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Arrests US basketballer over Loud shipment
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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 25.05 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in packs of breakfast cereal from South Africa at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and arrested a 56-year-old man who has lived in South Africa for over two decades under a false identity.
In a separate operation at the same airport, an American professional basketball player was arrested over a 33.95kg shipment of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from Thailand.
The agency also busted a firearms factory in Kaduna and seized large quantities of illicit drugs in Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Edo and Osun states.
The NDLEA’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The meth suspect, who goes by Omokan Isaac Babatope but whose real name is Chinedu Onwude, was arrested on Wednesday, 11 November, at the arrival hall of Terminal II upon his return from South Africa.
A search of his two boxes yielded 25 parcels of a white crystalline substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine. The parcels were hidden inside packs of assorted cereals and cereal-based foods.
The suspect holds Nigerian and South African passports. He told investigators that he had adopted his assumed name after using forged documents to enter South Africa and had used it ever since. He said a South Africa-based man, Obiora Okoye, had hired him to deliver the consignment for R20,000.
On the same day, acting on intelligence, operatives intercepted 28-year-old American Greene Da’monte Khiree, who arrived on an Emirates flight from Thailand via Dubai.
Under discreet surveillance, he was seen abandoning his two checked-in bags before trying to leave with only his carry-on. He was arrested at the airport car park.
The bags, both carrying his name tag, held 32 parcels of Loud weighing 33.95kg, along with a tracking device. Khiree, a native of Savannah, Georgia, said he had lived in Thailand since October 2025, where he played professional basketball, and that he had come to Nigeria on holiday to build networks for his career.
A forensic examination of his phone reportedly revealed information pointing to his knowledge of and involvement in the trafficking.
In Kaduna, operatives raided Sabon Garin Kangin on Monday, 9 November, and busted a factory for locally fabricated firearms, arresting 45-year-old Sagiru Musa. They recovered 17 Dane guns, two pistols, 25 Dane gun pipes and other manufacturing materials.
On Friday, officers on patrol at Jere, along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, intercepted 31-year-old Tabara Dauda with 196 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition and N675,000 in cash.
On Saturday, a raid on a hideout in Gonin-Gora led to the arrest of Celestine Chime, 34, and Chibueze Christ, 36, and the recovery of at least 499.3kg of skunk.
Lagos: 119.71kg of cannabis was recovered from 33-year-old Taiwo Adebayo Aderoju at Ebute Metta on 10 November. On Saturday, a joint operation in Ajah recovered 78.8kg of cannabis, codeine syrup, Rohypnol, tramadol, nitrous oxide and pregabalin from an abandoned Toyota Sienna.
Ondo: Victor William, 42, and Akeem Azeez, 27, were arrested at Olabi village, and 560kg of cannabis was found in their store. A separate raid on a farm in Ipele forest led to three arrests and the recovery of 122kg.
Delta: Esther Igba, 43, was arrested at Agbor with 255.67kg of cannabis. Aaron Thomas, 25, alias Ibori, described as a major distributor who runs a bush bar, was arrested at Ughelli South after six months of surveillance, with codeine syrup, tramadol and Molly.
Osun: Two suspects were arrested with 86kg of cannabis at Owena Forest Reserve. In a related operation, 40-year-old Ugwu Chukwuemeka was arrested and his 0.855-hectare farm, with an estimated 2,137.5kg of cannabis, was destroyed.
Edo: Blessing Chukwudi, 39, was arrested in Benin City with 14kg of Loud, Colorado and methamphetamine.
The NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd), commended the officers for their vigilance and professionalism. He said the meth interception showed that “no concealment method, however ingenious, can beat the resolve” of the agency’s operatives, and that the gun factory bust underscored the link between illicit drugs and violent crime. He charged commands to sustain both drug supply and demand reduction efforts.
Meanwhile, commands continued War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation in schools, worship centres and communities across the country during the week.
