Nigeria’s international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, has been stranded in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, following violent unrest triggered by the arrest of one of the country’s most notorious drug lords.

Ogebe, who is based in the United States, said he remained safe and calm despite a lockdown imposed after Mexican authorities moved against Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, popularly known as El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

In an email sent Tuesday afternoon, February 24, 2026, to News Express, Ogebe described his situation as an “amazing coincidence,” noting that he happened to be in Mexico at a critical moment in the country’s ongoing drug war.

He said while Mexican drug cartels are widely known for their violence, they largely traffic narcotics into the United States rather than destroy their own communities through addiction, adding that some cartels fund local community projects with proceeds from illicit drug trade, which earns them a degree of sympathy among sections of the populace.

However, Ogebe noted that extortion of protection money, kidnappings, assassinations and intimidation of small businesses remain major grievances against the cartels.

Drawing a contrast with Nigeria, the lawyer likened the situation in Mexico to the activities of armed groups in northern Nigeria, which he said had become predatory after being introduced as community protectors.

According to him, while Mexican cartels effectively bring foreign exchange into their country through illicit means, some Nigerian communities are burdened by foreign terrorists who impose taxes, extort farmers and unleash violence without any communal benefit.

Ogebe said the ongoing lockdown in Puerto Vallarta had entered its third day, adding that reported casualties from the violence across 20 Mexican states were fewer than 50, with most victims being military personnel and cartel members, and only one civilian confirmed dead.

He contrasted this with Nigeria, noting that the number of deaths recorded during the Mexican unrest was far lower than fatalities from attacks in parts of Nigeria, including Benue State, Plateau State and Enugu State, on the same day.

“Human life is too cheap in Nigeria,” Ogebe said, lamenting what he described as the stark disparity in the value placed on civilian lives between the two countries.