The Federal High Court in Lagos will determine on July 24, 2026, whether the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency can proceed with the destruction of a massive underground methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside an Ogun State forest.
Justice Musa Kakaki set the ruling date following a rare special session conducted directly on-site at the facility in Mowe village, located within the Ijebu East Local Government Area.
The anti-narcotics agency is pushing for judicial clearance to tear down the facility, which investigators identified as a major hub designed for large-scale drug manufacturing aimed at international markets. According to agency estimates, the lab housed specialized equipment and precursor chemicals capable of yielding over 2,419 kilograms of methamphetamine, with a market value exceeding ₦480 billion.
The ongoing trial follows the July 10 arraignment of ten suspects, comprising three Mexican citizens and seven Nigerians. The defendants face an 11-count charge centered on setting up and running the illegal facility, alongside manufacturing and possessing heavy quantities of methamphetamine, a dangerous substance categorized in the same hard-drug class as cocaine, heroin, and LSD. All ten accused individuals have entered non-guilty pleas.
Prosecutors allege that the group operated and funded an organized trafficking ring responsible for hauling essential precursor chemicals from Lagos to the secluded site in Ogun State. The movement involved vehicles such as a Toyota Tacoma, a Mercedes-Benz bearing registration APP 942 YL, and a Toyota Highlander marked GWA 662 DJ. Chemical inventories seized at the scene included thousands of kilograms of hydrochloric acid, hundreds of kilograms of toluene, alongside significant stocks of acetone, phenylacetic acid, and phenyl-2-propanone.
During the recent on-site court session, prosecuting attorney Adekunle Adebanjo called the state’s first witness, clandestine laboratory expert Ajilema Anebi. Taking the stand, Anebi explained how scientific testing confirmed that the seized substances were actively used to produce and store commercial quantities of export-grade methamphetamine. He further detailed the chemical roles that alcohol and hydrochloric acid play during the cooking process, including the dangerous formation of benzene.
While the court has already admitted the seized equipment and chemical inventory into evidence, defense lead counsel Benson Ndakara raised formal objections against several other exhibits presented by the state.
Following detailed arguments over the defense objections and the prosecution’s request to demolish the multi-billion naira installation, Justice Kakaki adjourned proceedings to July 24 for a formal ruling on the destruction order.
