The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Edo State Command, has destroyed five cannabis farms and arrested three suspected traffickers during operations across the state.
The command also seized thousands of tablets and capsules of illicit drugs, including tramadol and diazepam, as well as hundreds of bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.
The state commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Benin City on Monday.
Ofoyeju said the five cannabis plantations, destroyed within the past two weeks, covered a combined 2.27 hectares with an estimated yield of 5,674.17kg.
According to him, two farms measuring 0.93 hectares were discovered at Monday Camp, Usen Forest, in Ovia South-West Local Government Area, while two others covering 1.00 hectares were found at Igwe-Oke Forest in Owan East LGA.
He said the fifth farm, measuring 0.34 hectares, was located at Ogboha Forest, Owan East LGA.where operatives arrested a 39-year-old suspect, Sunday Segun.
Ofoyeju warned that cannabis cultivation was increasingly spreading across Edo’s forests and urged local government chairmen to support the NDLEA’s efforts to stop the trend.
“We have arrested three suspected drug traffickers and destroyed five cannabis farms. The cannabis farms are gradually taking over our forests, and I am calling on the local government chairmen to collaborate with the NDLEA to stem the illicit cultivation of cannabis,” he said.
In a separate operation at Bob-Izua Park, New Road, Okada, operatives arrested Hassan Mohammed with 7.1kg of cannabis. Three knives and charms were also recovered from him.
The command also intercepted a vehicle during a patrol in Auchi and arrested 25-year-old Jamie Zubaru.
Recovered from the vehicle were 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 50,000 capsules of Tramadol 100mg, 100 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and 25,000 tablets of Diazepam.
Ofoyeju said Zubaru was assisting investigators with further inquiries.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to disrupting drug trafficking and illicit cannabis cultivation in Edo, while calling for stronger cooperation with local authorities and communities.
