The Federal High Court in Lagos will decide on Friday, July 24, if the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency can destroy a methamphetamine lab found in a remote forest in Ogun State.
Justice Musa Kakaki set the date after a special court sitting on Wednesday in Mowe village, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
On July 10, the NDLEA charged three Mexicans and seven Nigerians with 11 counts related to running the secret lab.
The agency said its officers found equipment and chemicals used to produce 2,419.48 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, worth over ₦480 billion on the street.
The accused are said to have made and kept large amounts of methamphetamine, a drug similar to cocaine, heroin, and LSD.
The prosecution also claims the defendants ran a drug trafficking network that moved precursor chemicals from Lagos to the lab in the forest.
These chemicals reportedly included toluene, phenyl-2-propanone, phenylacetic acid, acetone, and hydrochloric acid.
The NDLEA also claimed the defendants illegally had 358 kilogrammes of toluene, 1,834 kilogrammes of hydrochloric acid, and 22.5 kilogrammes of acetone, meant for making methamphetamine.
The defendants, who all pleaded not guilty, are accused of transporting these substances in cars like a Toyota Tacoma, a Mercedes-Benz with registration APP 942 YL, and a Toyota Highlander with the plate number GWA 662 DJ.
According to Channels TV, on Wednesday, the prosecution called its first witness, Ajilema Anebi, an expert on secret labs.
Anebi testified that the substances found in the lab, where the second to eighth defendants were arrested, were used to make and store large amounts of methamphetamine meant for export.
He explained that his team identified these substances through scientific tests.
The witness also talked about the role of alcohol and hydrochloric acid in making methamphetamine, including how benzene is produced.
Anebi presented "exhibits relating to equipment and chemicals recovered from the facility," and earlier, the inventory of these items was accepted as evidence.
During the court session, NDLEA lawyer Adekunle Adebanjo highlighted the agency's request to destroy the lab.
But the defense lawyer, Benson Ndakara, opposed some of the prosecution's evidence and raised issues about certain exhibits presented.
After listening to both sides, Justice Kakaki postponed the case to July 24 for a ruling on the NDLEA’s request.
This ruling will decide if the agency can destroy the lab, which they say was a major site for making methamphetamine meant for markets outside Nigeria.
PUNCH Online previously reported that the lab was hidden in Abidagba Forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area and was run by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation.
NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, revealed that the lab was found through coordinated intelligence operations in Lagos and Ogun states in May 2026.
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