514 hectares of marijuana discovered in Ondo

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said that 514 hectares of land have been discovered  diverted into cannabis cultivation in Ondo State in the past two years.
Cannabis is popularly known as marijuana.

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Ahmadu Giade, who spoke at the public destruction of 61,000 kilogrammes of drug exhibits in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Monday, described cannabis cultivation as a serious threat to food production.
The Ondo State Commissioner for the Environment, Hon. Sola Ebisheni, who represented Governor Olusegun Mimiko, called for more grass root mobilisation in the fight against illicit drugs.
According to Ebisheni: “Ondo State is known for the production of food and cash crops. We must not allow few criminally minded persons to give us a bad name. Those who cultivate these drugs are living among us and we have a duty to expose them. I must commend the NDLEA officers for these seizures of drugs. I also wish to charge them to engage more of grass root sensitisation.”
Giade expressed strong determination to forcefully send drug barons out of the criminal narcotics trade.
He said: “We will frustrate every move to undermine the lofty agricultural programmes of the State government. We will not fold our hands and watch drug barons divert arable land for the cultivation of cannabis instead of growing legitimate food and cash crops.”
According to the NDLEA boss, several secret warehouses used in stockpiling cannabis have been traced in the state.
Giade added: “In the past two years, Ondo State has led other states in the Agency’s annual drug seizures with 123,452.76 kilogrammes of cannabis and destruction of 514 hectares of cannabis farmland. The command seized 67,979.80 kilogrammes of cannabis and traced 367 hectares of farmland in 2010. Also, 55,472.96 kilogrammes of cannabis were seized and 147 hectares of cannabis farmland destroyed in 2011.”
The NDLEA promised to work with the state government in drug control stressing that Ondo State has the capacity to feed the entire country and export food and cash crops.
“The NDLEA will vigorously pursue its drug prevention programmes in the State. Agriculture is one area of strength that must be maximised both for foreign exchange earnings and rapid development of the state,” Giade stated.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, about 230 million people or five per cent of the world’s adult population are estimated to have used an illicit drug at least once in 2010.
Problem drug users were also put at 27 million people or 0.6 per cent of the world adult population.
In Nigeria, young people between ages of 13 and 39 years are among cannabis users.
This development experts believe contributes to school dropout, truancy and violence to mention a few.
Some identified predisposing factors to drug trafficking and abuse include peer influence, inordinate desire to get rich quick, ignorance and the desire to experiment with drugs.
Giade thanked members of the public for supplying information to the NDLEA.
He also commended the officers for their hardwork and commitment to the drug war.
Giade said: “Let me assure the general public that any information provided shall be speedily and professionally treated. l also commend the NDLEA officers who work tirelessly even at night towards making the state drug-free. Efforts at improving the welfare package are ongoing.”