Crime & Justice
₦480bn Ogun Meth Lab: NDLEA Opposes Bail for 3 Mexicans, 7 Nigerians, Court to Rule Sept. 2
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has opposed the bail applications filed by 10 defendants standing trial over the alleged operation of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in a forest in Ogun State, describing them as flight risks who could evade trial if released.
Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos, after hearing arguments from both sides, adjourned until September 2, 2026, for ruling on the defendants’ bail applications.
The defendants are Anochili Innocent, Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, Nemecio Martinez Felix, Jesus Lopez Valles, Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, Omonughwa Kingsley Orike and Emeka Nwobum.
They are being prosecuted by the NDLEA over their alleged involvement in the production and trafficking of methamphetamine at a clandestine laboratory located at Iloti Village, in the Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The prosecution had earlier filed an 11-count charge against the defendants in Suit No. FHC/CR/430/2026 before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
The charge centres on the alleged production and possession of 2,419.48 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, a controlled psychotropic substance, as well as the alleged acquisition, transportation and possession of precursor chemicals used in the production of the illicit drug.
At the resumed proceedings on the bail applications, counsel to the defendants, Chief Benson Ndakara, told Justice Aluko that he had approached the vacation court because of the urgency of the applications, stressing that the matter concerned the liberty and fundamental rights of the defendants, who are currently being held in custody.
Ndakara said the prosecution had been served with the bail applications and had filed its response.
In the affidavit supporting the applications, the defendants argued that their continued detention was unjustified, particularly in the case of the first defendant, whom they said was not found in possession of any illicit drug.
They also maintained that they were presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
The defendants further argued that the alleged offences were bailable and expressed their readiness to provide reliable sureties and comply with any conditions that might be imposed by the court.
They also raised concerns about the health of some of the defendants, claiming that their medical conditions required special medical attention and warranted their release on bail.
Opposing the applications, NDLEA counsel, Barrister Buhari Abdullahi, urged Justice Aluko to reject the request, arguing that there was no exceptional urgency warranting the defendants’ resort to the vacation court.
Abdullahi said the substantive criminal proceedings were already before Justice Musa Kakaki, where the defendants had been arraigned, their pleas taken and an order made for an accelerated trial.
He further informed the court that the prosecution had already called its first witness, who had testified in the case.
The NDLEA lawyer, relying on the agency’s counter-affidavit, argued that the defendants constituted flight risks and that granting them bail could frustrate the trial.
According to him, some of the defendants are foreign nationals and could leave Nigeria if released.
Abdullahi told the court that three of the defendants are Mexican nationals, while the first defendant, whom the prosecution described as the alleged financier and organiser of the syndicate, holds dual Nigerian and Mexican citizenship.
He argued that the international composition of the defendants heightened the risk of their fleeing the country to avoid prosecution.
On the health concerns raised by the defendants, the NDLEA counsel said the applicants had not established that their medical conditions were so serious that they could not be managed by the medical facilities available at the correctional centre.
He urged the court to disregard the health argument as a basis for granting bail.
The prosecutor also challenged the defendants’ claim that they intended to use the property where the clandestine laboratory was discovered for legitimate businesses, including poultry farming, piggery and alcoholic wine production.
According to Abdullahi, investigations by the agency established that the clandestine laboratory at Iloti Village was owned, financed and sponsored by the first defendant and had been specifically established and equipped for the illicit production of methamphetamine.
He said various equipment, apparatus, chemicals and materials allegedly associated with the production of controlled substances were recovered from the facility.
Among the substances allegedly recovered, he said, was Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), described by the prosecution as a major precursor agent for the production of methamphetamine.
The prosecution said it would rely on physical, documentary, forensic and laboratory evidence during the trial to establish its allegations against the defendants.
Earlier, in the substantive charge, the NDLEA alleged that the defendants were members of an organised network involved in the illicit production and trafficking of methamphetamine, as well as the acquisition and transportation of precursor chemicals required for its manufacture.
The prosecution said the 10 defendants comprised three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians, describing the composition of the group as evidence of the alleged international and transnational character of the criminal enterprise.
The NDLEA also alleged that precursor chemicals, including toluene, P2P, phenylacetic acid, acetone and hydrochloric acid, were transported from Lagos to the forest laboratory in Ogun State.
The chemicals were allegedly conveyed using a Toyota Tacoma, a Mercedes-Benz with registration number APP 942 YL and a Toyota Highlander with registration number GWA 662 DJ.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants unlawfully possessed substantial quantities of precursor chemicals intended for the manufacture of methamphetamine, including 358 kilogrammes of toluene, 1,834 kilogrammes of hydrochloric acid and 22.5 kilogrammes of acetone, alongside unspecified quantities of P2P and phenylacetic acid.
The first defendant, Anochili, was also accused of owning and operating the fenced property in Mowe Forest where the clandestine laboratory was allegedly located. The NDLEA alleged that he knew the property was being used for the illegal production of methamphetamine.
The charges were brought under Sections 11(a), 12, 14(b), 19, 20(1)(e) and 20(1)(g) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, with the offences punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the Act.
The defendants have denied the allegations and are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
After listening to the arguments of counsel, Justice Aluko adjourned ruling on the bail applications until September 2, 2026.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, arraigned a businessman, Christopher Elendu Enyinnwa, before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, over an alleged ₦30.14 million fraud.
Enyinnwa was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on fraudulent conversion and obtaining money under false pretences in connection with the proposed supply of slippers from China.
The defendant was alleged to have collected a total of ₦30,140,000 from the petitioner, Chidebere Love Okafor, for the supply of slippers from China.
Count One reads: “Christopher Elendu Enyinwa sometime in August 2024, at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, fraudulently converted for your own use the sum of Two Million Naira (₦2,000,000.00), property of Chidebere Love Okafor.”
Count Two reads: “Christopher Elendu Enyinwa sometime in August 2024, at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, fraudulently converted for your own use the sum of Eleven Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand Naira (₦11,923,000.00), property of Chidebere Love Okafor.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Fanen Anum, informed the court that the prosecution was ready for trial and had two witnesses available in court.
Defence counsel, K.C. Atuenyi, however, sought an adjournment to enable him to prepare for trial, explaining that he had prepared only for the arraignment.
Justice Abike-Fadipe overruled the defence request and directed the prosecution to call its first witness.
The first prosecution witness, PW1, Okafor Love Chidebere, who works at Gomac Industry Nigeria Limited and is the petitioner, told the court that she knew the defendant as a fellow church member.
According to her, Enyinnwa had told her that he travelled to China for business and could assist her in purchasing slippers from China.
She said, “He is my church member. I knew him in church. He told me he buys goods, and I approached him to buy slippers in China for me.”
The witness explained that, after discussing the product she wanted to purchase, she gave the defendant a sample of the slippers to take to China.
She said the defendant subsequently provided a price for the goods, which she initially considered high because she was negotiating with another company offering a lower price.
According to her, she eventually trusted Enyinnwa because he was her church member and agreed to proceed with the transaction.
She told the court that the defendant requested an initial deposit of ₦2 million, which she paid into his Access Bank account in August 2024.
The witness further stated that, after the defendant returned from China, he showed them samples of the slippers, following which some amendments were made and the samples were returned to him.
She said the defendant later requested ₦11,923,000 to commence production, which was also paid into his Access Bank account.
According to her, the defendant subsequently demanded another ₦15 million as the balance, which was paid to him.
She said, “After that, he told us that he will go back to ship the goods in a very short while.”
However, when the defendant did not travel as expected, the witness said they contacted him, and he claimed that he was having issues with his travel documents.
She further told the court that, after several calls, the defendant requested another ₦2 million to facilitate his travel documents.
According to her, she and her husband agreed to provide the money because they wanted him to travel back to China and complete the transaction.
The witness said the defendant eventually travelled to China in February 2025 and later informed them that he had shipped goods, including clothes, and would provide the relevant documents when the shipment arrived.
She said the goods, however, did not arrive as promised.
The witness further narrated that her pastor subsequently summoned her to his office and informed her that some of the defendant’s claims were allegedly untrue.
She said members of the church intervened in the matter and the defendant promised to refund the money, but had yet to do so.
According to PW1, “The total amount is ₦30,140,000. Up till now, I have not seen the goods and the money.”
During cross-examination, defence counsel, K.C. Atuenyi, requested another date to cross-examine the witness.
The prosecution thereafter urged the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.
Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned the matter to November 26, December 16 and 17, 2026, for continuation of trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has intercepted two persons in Adamawa State with ₦34 million in cash, with the suspects allegedly linked to a kidnapping syndicate.
The suspects were intercepted with the cash during an operation in the state.
The Comptroller of Immigration Service, Sani Sule-Jega, disclosed this at a media briefing in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
According to him, preliminary investigations showed that the suspects claimed the money was intended to pay ransom for their abducted brother.
In a separate operation, the Adamawa State Command of the NIS also intercepted 17 irregular migrants at Rumde Baruw in Yola North Local Government Area of the state.
The undocumented migrants were intercepted at a private three-bedroom residence during an operation by officers of the command.
Sule-Jega said preliminary profiling showed that 13 of the migrants were Cameroonian nationals, comprising eight males and five females, while the remaining four were Chadian nationals, all males.
The Comptroller noted a shift in the accommodation pattern of undocumented migrants, particularly their increasing use of private and unregistered apartments instead of conventional lodging facilities such as hotels.
He said the service was intensifying surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and address emerging patterns of irregular migration in the state.
Sule-Jega reiterated the command’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity, improving migration management and strengthening border security.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist security agencies in maintaining peace and security across the state.
The suspects and recovered cash have been taken into custody for further investigation and necessary action in accordance with established procedures and applicable laws.
The Comptroller General of Immigration has directed that the suspects and exhibits be handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
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