Human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency over its destruction of cannabis farms in Edo State, calling instead for the legalisation and regulation of the crop.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Sowore described the NDLEA’s actions as a waste of economically viable resources at a time when Nigeria is battling widespread poverty.
He urged the agency to halt the raids and pursue a regulatory framework that would allow the country to tap into the plant’s medicinal and industrial value.
According to him, setting valuable crops ablaze while the country struggles with multidimensional poverty amounts to a foolish and outdated approach to drug policy.
Sowore argued that a properly regulated cannabis industry could open up new revenue streams for Nigeria, driving job creation and research investment.
He maintained that burning farmland would not solve the country’s economic problems and called on the NDLEA to rethink its strategy.
His comments follow a report that the NDLEA’s Edo State Command destroyed two cannabis plantations with a combined estimated yield of about 4,629 kilogrammes and arrested 10 suspected drug traffickers in coordinated operations across the state.
The state Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the operations followed credible intelligence, adding that one farm in Ugboku, Igbanke Forest, in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, spanned about 0.7 hectares with an estimated yield of 1,749 kilogrammes. A 40-year-old suspect, Agholor Elebojie, was arrested in connection with that farm.
A second farm, covering roughly 1.15 hectares with an estimated yield of nearly 2,880 kilogrammes, was also destroyed. Two bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 12.4 kilogrammes were recovered from the site.
Ofoyeju said the operation aligned with directives from NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, to dismantle illicit drug locations nationwide.
In separate raids in Oluku, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, and Abuja Quarters, Oredo Local Government Area, both in Benin City, 10 suspected male drug traffickers were arrested with various quantities of illicit substances.
The commander said a 28-year-old suspect, Kingsley Anigala, was arrested at Oluku on August 14 with 25.857 kilogrammes of cannabis and 93 grammes of methamphetamine, while nine others were arrested at Abuja Quarters on August 13 with cannabis sativa, tramadol, diazepam, and other controlled substances.
All suspects have been taken into custody, with investigations ongoing ahead of prosecution.
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