The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed Friday, July 24, to rule on an application by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seeking permission to demolish a suspected clandestine methamphetamine laboratory uncovered in a remote forest in Ogun State.
Justice Musa Kakaki scheduled the ruling after conducting a special court session on Wednesday at the laboratory site in Mowe village, Ijebu East Local Government Area.
The application is connected to an ongoing trial involving three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians, who were arraigned by the NDLEA on July 10 on an 11-count charge bordering on the alleged establishment and operation of the illicit drug production facility.
According to the anti-narcotics agency, operatives recovered equipment and chemicals allegedly used in the production of more than 2,419 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦480 billion.
The defendants are accused of manufacturing and possessing large quantities of the psychotropic substance, as well as operating and financing a drug trafficking network responsible for transporting precursor chemicals from Lagos to the hidden laboratory.
The prosecution also alleged that the suspects were in unlawful possession of large quantities of chemicals, including toluene, hydrochloric acid, acetone, phenyl-2-propanone and phenylacetic acid, which were allegedly intended for methamphetamine production.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all charges.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the prosecution called its first witness, clandestine laboratory expert Ajilema Anebi, who testified that scientific analysis confirmed that materials recovered from the facility had been used to manufacture and store methamphetamine intended for export.
Anebi explained the role of various chemicals in the drug production process and tendered exhibits linked to the laboratory equipment and substances recovered during the operation.
NDLEA prosecuting counsel, Adekunle Adebanjo, also urged the court to grant the agency’s application to demolish the laboratory, describing it as a significant illegal drug production hub.
Counsel to the defendants, led by Benson Ndakara, challenged aspects of the prosecution’s evidence and objected to some of the exhibits presented before the court.
Following arguments from both parties, Justice Kakaki adjourned proceedings until July 24 for a ruling on whether the NDLEA can proceed with demolishing the facility.
The laboratory, reportedly concealed inside the Abidagba Forest in Ogun State’s Ijebu East Local Government Area, was allegedly operated by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), previously disclosed that the facility was uncovered during intelligence-led operations carried out across Lagos and Ogun states in May 2026.
The discovery follows another major anti-drug operation in June, when the NDLEA dismantled a multi-billion-naira methamphetamine laboratory in Oyo State and arrested five suspects, including a Mexican national allegedly recruited to provide technical expertise.