Breaking News: Nigeria’s NDLEA Destroys Over 100,000kg of Cannabis in Ekiti
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a significant breakthrough in its fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria. In a statement released by Femi Babafemi, the director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA operatives, supported by men of the Nigerian Army, stormed three camps in the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve in Ekiti state, destroying over 100,000kg of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farmland.
The affected areas, according to Babafemi, include Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares, Aba Paanu with 12 hectares, and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.
In addition to the destruction of cannabis, the NDLEA also arrested several suspects in connection with drug trafficking. Two suspects were arrested on the Toro-Jos road in Kaduna with 305kg of cannabis concealed in a false compartment of a J5 boxer bus. Another suspect was arrested in possession of 18kg of cannabis in Makarfi town, while two others were arrested on the Zaria-Kaduna highway with 1,300 tablets of Tramadol.
The NDLEA also arrested a 30-year-old man in Jigawa state with 32.6kg of cannabis, while operatives in Kogi intercepted 77,300 pills of Tramadol, Diazepam, and Exol-5 with 1,230 bottles of Codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68.
In Borno state, a 40-year-old man was arrested with 13,100 pills of Tramadol, while operatives in Kano arrested a man with 25.8kg of cannabis and 3,000 pills of Diazepam.
The NDLEA spokesman also revealed that 87,790 pills of Tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, Taraba state. A raid on the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa, Osun state, led to the seizure of 43grams of crack cocaine, 23grams of Methamphetamine, 17.126kg of cannabis, and a locally made pistol.
The destruction of over 100,000kg of cannabis is a significant blow to drug traffickers in Nigeria, and the NDLEA’s efforts to combat drug trafficking are a welcome development.