The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested three suspects over the cultivation of cannabis sativa in Ekiti State.
According to the state commander, Rufus Aina, NDLEA operatives destroyed over 125,750kg of cannabis sativa during operations in the forests of Igbara Odo and Ilawe Ekiti, while another 3,456kg was recovered.
Aina disclosed this in a statement released on Thursday by the agency’s spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics, Ifeoluwa Fabiyi, in Ado Ekiti.
He explained that the operations, which took place between Friday, October 17, and Monday, October 20, 2025, were part of a larger crackdown on illicit cannabis farms across the state.
In the Igbara Odo forest, NDLEA officers destroyed 72,500kg of fresh cannabis cultivated on 29.7 hectares of farmland. Another 53,250kg was destroyed in Ilawe Ekiti, where nursery beds prepared for transplanting were also wiped out.
Aina said the operations were carried out under “Operation Weed Crusher 2025,” a statewide effort aimed at dismantling cannabis cultivation networks.
“This operation has been yielding positive results. It’s a bold move to drastically cut the supply chain of cannabis sativa in Ekiti and across Nigeria,” he said.
He added that the raids were part of ongoing efforts to reclaim forests that have been converted into commercial cannabis farms.
“In a bid to sustain the onslaught against those who have turned Ekiti forests into cannabis hubs, NDLEA officers stormed Igbara Odo and Ilawe Ekiti. A total of 84 bags — 72 regular and 12 jumbo — of already harvested and dried cannabis, weighing 2,316kg, were recovered,” Aina said.
Read Also;
NDLEA intercepts 300,000 pills of Exol-5 in Ogun, Kaduna
The NDLEA confirmed that three suspects were arrested during the four-day operation, supported by 40 hired labourers who helped in destroying the plantations.
The Ilawe Ekiti raid, led by Deputy State Commander Muhammed Yaro, also led to the arrest of three suspects directly on the farm.
Aina reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to eradicating cannabis farms in Ekiti, warning that the agency would continue to pursue offenders “until the illegal trade is completely stamped out.”
This comes shortly after NDLEA officers in Edo State destroyed over 18,000kg of cannabis during a similar raid in Ugbogui Forest, Ovia South-West LGA.
The Edo State Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, had earlier warned that the rise in cannabis cultivation poses a serious threat to food security, as farmlands meant for crops are increasingly being used for illegal cultivation.
“If these forests were used for food and cash crops instead of cannabis, the problem of food shortages would be significantly reduced,” Ofoyeju said.
