Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 25.05 kilograms consignment of methamphetamine concealed in packs of assorted breakfast cereals imported from South Africa through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The trafficker, 56-year-old 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 upon his return from South Africa.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed the interception in a statement he issued on Sunday, November 15, 2026.
The statement said a thorough search of his two travelling boxes led to the recovery of twenty-five parcels of a white crystalline substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine with a total weight of 25.05kg.
The parcels had been carefully concealed inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals and cereal-based food products in a bid to beat security screening, it added.
The suspect holds both Nigerian and South African passports and has been resident in South Africa for over 24 years. During preliminary interview, he confessed that he adopted the name Omokan Isaac Babatope after using forged documents to gain entry into South Africa and had continued to use that identity ever since.
He further stated that he was contracted by a South Africa-based man, Obiora Okoye, to deliver the illicit consignment in Nigeria for a fee of Twenty Thousand South African Rands (R20,000).
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers for the interception and urged them to remain vigilant and professional in their operations.
He noted that the interception of methamphetamine concealed in breakfast cereals shows that no concealment method, however ingenious, can beat the resolve of the Agency’s operatives.