US basketball player also arrested over 34kg of “Loud” as NDLEA busts Kaduna gun factory, seizes tons of drugs in five states
A 56-year-old man who had lived in South Africa for more than two decades under a false name was arrested at Lagos airport last week with 25.05 kilograms of methamphetamine packed inside boxes of breakfast cereal.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested Chinedu Onwude, who used the name Omokan Isaac Babatope, on Wednesday, 11 November, at the arrival hall of Terminal II, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, after he flew in from South Africa.
A search of his two boxes turned up 25 parcels of a white crystalline substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine. The parcels had been tucked inside packs of assorted cereals and cereal-based foods to beat security screening.
Onwude, who holds both Nigerian and South African passports, told investigators he entered South Africa on forged documents and has used the false identity ever since. He said a South Africa-based man, Obiora Okoye, hired him to deliver the consignment in Nigeria for R20,000.
On the same day, NDLEA operatives at the MMIA acted on intelligence and intercepted a 28-year-old American, Greene Da’monte Khiree, who arrived on an Emirates flight from Thailand via Dubai. Placed under discreet surveillance, he was seen abandoning his two checked-in bags and trying to leave the airport with only his carry-on. He was arrested at the airport car park.
Each of the bags, both bearing his name tag, held 16 parcels of “Loud”, a potent strain of cannabis, making 32 parcels weighing 33.95kg in total. A tracking device was also found in the luggage. Khiree, a native of Savannah, Georgia, said he has lived in Thailand since October 2025, where he plays professional basketball, and that he came to Nigeria on holiday to build networks for his career. NDLEA said a forensic examination of his phone pointed to his knowledge of, and involvement in, the trafficking.
In Kaduna State, operatives raided Sabon Garin Kangin on Monday, 9 November, and shut down a factory for locally fabricated firearms. A 45-year-old man, Sagiru Musa, was arrested. Recovered were 17 locally made Dane guns, two pistols, 25 Dane gun pipes and other gun-making materials. On Friday, 13 November, officers on patrol at Jere, along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, stopped a 31-year-old woman, Tabara Dauda, with 196 live AK-47 rounds and N675,000 in cash.
Also in Kaduna, Samson Chibuike Andebe, 30, was arrested on 11 November at Grace Land, Sabon Gari LGA, with 3,840 tablets of tramadol 225mg (2.5kg). On 14 November, Celestine Chime, 34, and Chibueze Christ, 36, were arrested when their hideout in Gonin-Gora was raided, with at least 499.3kg of skunk recovered.
In Lagos, Taiwo Adebayo Aderoju, 33, was arrested at Ebute Metta on 10 November with 119.71kg of cannabis sativa. On 14 November, a joint operation in Ajah recovered 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 from an abandoned silver Toyota Sienna. The suspect fled on sighting the operatives.
In Ondo State, Victor William, 42, and Akeem Azeez, 27, were arrested at Olabi village bush on 10 November as they brought out bags of cannabis for sale. They led operatives to their store, where 50 bags weighing 560kg were found. On 13 November, a raid on a cannabis farm in Ipele forest led to the arrest of Godwin Benson, 30, Muhammed Awwal, 34, and James Timothy, 18, with 122kg of the drug.
In Delta State, Esther Igba, 43, was arrested on 12 November at Alihame, Agbor, Ika South LGA, with 255.670kg of cannabis sativa and 1.5kg of cannabis seeds. Earlier, on 10 November, 25-year-old Aaron Thomas, a.k.a. Ibori, was arrested at Oguato, Ughelli South LGA, after more than six months of surveillance. Described as a major distributor who runs a notorious bush bar, he had 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, during a farm destruction operation at Owena Forest Reserve, Eze Chidiebere, 23, and Nwaoge Ugochukwu, 24, were arrested with 86kg of cannabis sativa. In a related operation, Ugwu Chukwuemeka, 40, was arrested with 28kg of dried cannabis and 21kg of fresh leaves, and his 0.855-hectare farm, estimated to hold 2,137.5kg of the plant, was destroyed.
In Edo State, after weeks of surveillance in Benin City, operatives raided Jamila Street, Ikpoba Hill, on 10 November and arrested Blessing Chukwudi, 39. She had 22 compressed parcels of Loud (14kg), 65 grams of Colorado and 73 grams of methamphetamine.
Commending the officers of the MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Ondo, Delta, Osun and Edo commands, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised their vigilance and professionalism. He said the methamphetamine seizure showed that “no concealment method, however ingenious, can beat the resolve of the Agency’s operatives.” On the Kaduna gun factory, Marwa said the bust “further underscores the link between illicit drugs and violent crime.” He urged commanders nationwide to “sustain the tempo” of both drug supply reduction and demand reduction.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities. Lectures were held at Poko Community Primary School, Epe, Lagos; Community Grammar School, Eyinni, Ibadan; Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, Ogun; Presco High School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Federal Government Girls College, Efon Alaye, Ekiti; Obasanjo Modern Primary School, Jos, Plateau; and Government Girls Secondary School, Sabon Garin Gaidam, Kano. The Ondo command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Olu of Ilu Abo, Oba Olu Falae.
#NDLEA
#COCAINE
#METH
#MARWA
