Man arrested in Lagos with 25kgs of meth from South Africa: Nigerian authorities

Nigerian authorities have intercepted 25 kilogrammes of methamphetamine reportedly imported from South Africa. The drug, shortened as meth, is a powdery, synthetic central nervous system stimulant that alters how the brain and body function. It produces euphoric feeling, sometimes lasting up to 24 hours.

Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the consignment was seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on November 11, 2026.

The anti-drugs agency said on Sunday, November 15, that a 56-year-old man was arrested in connection with trafficking the drug.

According to NDLEA, the suspect, identified as Chinedu Onwude, had lived in South Africa for more than 24 years with a stolen identity.

'Concealed inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals'

"The parcels had been carefully concealed inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals and cereal-based food products in a bid to beat security screening," NDLEA said in a statement.

"During a preliminary interrogation, 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," the anti-drugs agency added, saying Onwude had both Nigerian and South African passports.

The estimated value of the bust was not revealed in NDLEA's statement.

In another operation, NDLEA arrested an American national, Greene Khiree, with nearly 34 kilogrammes of a potent strain of cannabis, called Loud. The consignment, which was also seized in Lagos on November 11, had been shipped from Thailand, the anti-drugs agency said.

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