The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Ondo State Command, said in the last two months, it had seized not less than 3,500 kg of Cannabis sativa also known as Indian hemp.
The Agency’s State Commandant, Mr Muhammed Sokoto, while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Akure, disclosed that the command also destroyed 36 tonnes of the substance within the period.
Sokoto said that the command arrested 11 drug suspects, including three females and destroyed three Cannabis Sativa plantations during the period, noting that the arrests were made at Owo, Ifon, Ile-Owo in Ondo North Senatorial District and Ogbese as well as Itaogbolu in Ondo Central Senatorial District.
“The command is collaborating with the Ondo State Government to use the confiscated plantation for cocoa farming under the cocoa revolution initiative of the administration,” the NDLEA boss said.
“We have started this partnership on cocoa revolution programme with the government whereby it takes over any confiscated land earlier used for Indian hemp cultivation and use it for cocoa farming.
He said the government and the agency will manage the farms and that the initiative will eventually increase government’s revenue.
According to Sokoto, “The major challenge we have is that the main Cannabis sativa cultivators and land owners are not easily found but we arrest and prosecute those found on the land.
“Their labourers,” he said, “Sometimes give us necessary information that leads to the arrest of their bosses and the land owners.”
The commandant noted that the agency was also saddled with responsibility of rehabilitating drug addicts.
Sokoto said, “Three of such addicts were still on admission, while three others had been discharged after being certified non-adherent to hard drugs.
He also added that the command had embarked on sensitisation programmes on the dangers of hard drugs and drug abuse, adding that the campaign targeted secondary schools and motor parks, stressing that the agency was also collaborating with the state command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, in taking the campaign to motor parks.
He, however, called on the residents to give useful information to the agency to enable it perform better and assured them of confidentiality in dealing with such information.
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