Court remands two Mexicans, four Nigerians over Oyo forest meth lab

The Federal High Court in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has remanded two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians arrested over their alleged involvement in operating a methamphetamine in Tapa village, Ibarapa North LGA.

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The two Mexicans are identified as Jose Villa Ochoa and Carrera Loaiza Arturo, while the four Nigerians are Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi, and Ganiu Monsiu.

According to the NDLEA, Ochoa and the four Nigerian suspects were arrested on June 17, 2026, while Arturo was arrested on August 19, 2026, as he attempted to flee the country through the Lagos airport.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, had said Ochoa was brought into the country to provide technical expertise for the large-scale production of methamphetamine, while the Nigerian suspects handled logistics and local operations.

In a statement on Friday, Babafemi said the defendants were arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on the alleged unlawful transportation and distribution of chemical substances for the purpose of manufacturing methamphetamine.

The six defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

‎After the defendants entered their pleas, Nkeonye Evelyn Maha, the presiding judge, ordered that they be remand at the correctional centre in Ibadan.

In September, the NDLEA discovered an “industrial-scale” methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi state.