The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has destroyed a cannabis plantation of 57 hectares, which is valued at N6.8 billion.
The NDLEA Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, who ordered the deployment of a tractor for the destruction of the cannabis plantation, located at Gbongan Forest reserve, Ayedade Local Government Area of Osun State, said that the Agency took the step in response to the growing magnitude of cannabis cultivation in the South West states.
Giade added: “The estimated street value of 676,800kg of destroyed cannabis on the 57 hectares is N6.8 billion.”
The operation lasted from October 9, to October 12, 2014.
A suspected drug baron, Godspower Chibogu, 51, who allegedly financed the cultivation of the cannabis plantations, was traced to his private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he was apprehended.
Chibogu was taken to the farm where he witnessed the destruction.
A Peugeot 406 saloon car belonging to the suspect, was also impounded.
The suspect said: “I gave money to people to farm the cannabis land for me.
“I used to be a transporter but when my business was recording losses, I sold my buses and invested the money in cannabis cultivation.
“This is my first time.”
The NDLEA Chairman promised to arrest more barons and destroy cannabis plantations. Giade said: “This is the first time the NDLEA is engaging the services of a tractor in the destruction of a cannabis farm.
“The farms are so large that it takes several days and weeks to destroy manually.
“Deploying heavy duty equipment to the farms makes the task simpler and faster.
“It is also a demonstration of our commitment to the eradication of cannabis cultivation.
“In the past few months, we have destroyed several cannabis plantations.
“More barons shall be arrested and cannabis plantations destroyed.”
Giade said that cannabis was the greatest drug challenge in the country, adding that the major drug problem in the country was cannabis.
He said: “It accounts for over 90 per cent of total drugs seized by the NDLEA.
“We are therefore concentrating efforts at addressing the problem at the grass root level.
“Taking the battle to the farms has yielded significant success.
“We are determined to destroying all cannabis farms and cut off supply to users.
“This is one of our strategies of reducing crime and violence in our country.”
The NDLEA Director of Operations and General Investigation, Olugbenga Mabo, said the successful arrest of Chibogu, on whose trail the Agency had been, underscores the fact that drug barons have no hiding place.
Mabo said: “We are prepared to cross over more rivers and climb more mountains to destroy cannabis plantations.”
The destruction, which lasted 72 hours, was led by the NDLEA Commander of the Joint Task Force, Muyiwa Adeniyi.
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