Amanze ChinonyeThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed a 30-hectare cannabis sativa plantation discovered deep within the forests of Esuk-Odot, in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Speaking on Saturday during a briefing with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar, the NDLEA State Commander, Mrs. Rachel Umebuali, confirmed the operation, describing the plantation as part of an entrenched illicit drug cultivation network supported by some local communities.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“We recovered 163.9 kilograms of cannabis sativa seeds from the destroyed farm,” Umebuali said, expressing concern over what she described as community-level protection of drug merchants.
The crackdown is part of a broader offensive by the NDLEA against cannabis cultivation in Cross River, which, alongside neighboring Edo State, has seen over 77,000 kilograms of cannabis plants and products destroyed or seized in recent months, according to NDLEA headquarters.
Wider Drug Seizures and Arrests
Between January and June 2025, the NDLEA in Cross River seized a total of 6,716.8 kilograms of illicit drugs. A breakdown of the seizures includes:
2,935 kg of cannabis sativa, 129.6 kg of methamphetamine, 82.7 kg of psychotropic substances, 47.7 kg of cocaine, 32.3 kg of heroine, 69.7 kg of opioids and babiturate, 33.3 liters of cannabis mixture and 5 grams of Ecstasy.
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During the same period, 191 suspects were arrested in connection with various drug-related offenses. The agency says prosecutions are ongoing and has vowed to intensify surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Impact and Community Involvement
Security analysts say the destruction of such a vast farmland significantly disrupts the illegal drug economy and supply chain in the region.
“This is a strategic blow to cannabis syndicates,” said Dr. Ifeanyi Okafor, a drug policy expert. “But without proactive community engagement and socio-economic alternatives, the void will be filled again.”
NDLEA has also raised alarms about increasing youth involvement in cannabis cultivation, often lured by the promise of daily wages in hard-to-monitor forest regions.
Umebuali urged community leaders and local stakeholders to support the agency’s efforts by resisting the lure of illicit profits and reporting suspicious activities.
National Scale Operation
The Cross River destruction forms part of a national NDLEA campaign which, according to recent headquarters data, also includes over 100 hectares of cannabis farms cleared in states such as Edo, Ogun, and Ondo. The agency has pledged continued enforcement, rehabilitation, and education campaigns as part of its three-pronged war on drugs.
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