Six foreign and Nigerian suspects have been brought before the Federal High Court in Ibadan over allegations that they sought to build a methamphetamine production facility in Oyo State, in a case highlighting the cross-border dimension of illicit-drug manufacturing networks.
What happened
- Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha heard the case against two Mexican citizens and four Nigerian defendants following the discovery of a suspected illegal drug laboratory in a forested area near Tapa village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
- The Nigerian defendants are Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
- They were arrested with Jose Villa Ochoa, a 56-year-old Mexican national, during an operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on 17 June 2026.
- A second Mexican suspect, Carrera Loaiza Arturo, 40, was detained on 19 August at Lagos airport while allegedly trying to depart Nigeria.
The NDLEA said on Friday, through its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, that the six defendants face four charges. The allegations include conspiring to create and operate a drug-trafficking operation as well as establishing an unauthorised site for methamphetamine production.
The alleged offences concern activities said to have taken place across Lagos and Oyo states from December 2025 through June 2026.
Prosecutors also accused the defendants of transporting and supplying chemical materials intended for use in making the banned narcotic. That allegation falls under Section 20(1)(f) of the NDLEA Act and carries penalties prescribed under Section 20(2)(a).
Court proceedings
All six defendants entered not-guilty pleas after the charges were read and interpreted in languages they understood.
Justice Maha directed that they remain in custody at the Ibadan Correctional Centre until the next stage of the case. The trial is scheduled to begin between 26 and 29 January 2027.
