PRESS RELEASE
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Ahmadu Giade has called for maximum punishment for cannabis cultivators in the country. Giade who promised to take away financial incentives from cannabis cultivation made the call as the Agency discovered and destroyed 2,260,800kg of cannabis in different cannabis plantations in Osun State. The estimated street value of the destroyed cannabis plantations is 15.8 billion naira.
According to the NDLEA boss, drug barons must be financially incapacitated and made to face the wroth of the law. “In this operation alone, we successfully destroyed a total of 2,260,800kg of cannabis. This is a clear indication that cannabis cultivators shall not be allowed to enjoy the proceeds of their criminal drug activities. Dispossessing drug barons of 15.8 billion naira in a single operation is a highly commendable feat. We shall continue to trace and destroy cannabis farms. The drug barons arrested in connection with the cannabis plantations shall be diligently prosecuted and I expect nothing but maximum punishment. A criminal act that generates so much money deserves serious attention of stakeholders. Nigeria will continue to win the drug war”.
The Director of Operations and investigation of the NDLEA, Mr. Olugbenga Mabo who supervised the operation described it as timely. Some of the cannabis farms were destroyed at Arinkinkin forest at Isokan Local Government Area while others were located at Ayedade Local Government Area both in Osun State.
Mabo stated that “the operation was timely because the farmers had commenced harvest already. The good news is that both the harvested plants and the fresh plants were destroyed. We are currently processing some intelligence reports and more farms shall be completely destroyed”.
The director added that a Secondary School student was among those apprehended at the cannabis farms. The suspect, Monday Ogwugwa said that he was brought to the plantation to work in order to get money to register for his Senior Secondary School certificate examination.
“My name is Monday Ogwugwa. I am 18 years old. I lost my parents when I was a little child. A man brought me from Delta State to this farm to work so that I can get money to register for Senior Secondary School certificate examination. This is my first time of coming to work in a hemp farm. It was here that I knew it was a hemp farm. I have nobody to help me” Monday lamented.
The NDLEA Joint Task Force Commander, Mr. Adeniyi Muyiwa said that officers made a lot of sacrifices in making the week-long operation a huge success. “Apart from deploying officers from the entire South West for the assignment; we engaged the services of eighty (80) labourers in the destruction exercise. I am glad that officers were enthusiastic in spite of the tasking nature of the operation. We were determined to work and I am glad that the entire plantation was destroyed” Adeniyi stated.
The suspect will be charged to court even as effort is on-going to identify other members of the criminal gang.
Ofoyeju Mitchell
Head, Public Affairs NDLEA
