Personnel of the agency also intercepted over 4,000kg of illicit drugs during raids in Lagos, Kogi, Kaduna, Sokoto and Edo states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) destroyed 40 tons of cannabis plants covering 16 hectares of farmland in Ekiti.
Personnel of the agency also intercepted over 4,000kg of illicit drugs during raids in Lagos, Kogi, Kaduna, Sokoto and Edo states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy on Sunday.
He said, “In a massive operation between Monday 11th and Wednesday 13th September, NDLEA operatives stormed thick forests in Ijesha Isu-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti state, where they destroyed 40 tons (40,000 kilograms) of cannabis plants covering 16 hectares of farmland.”
Regarding the intercepted drugs, Babafemi said, “In the FCT, operatives intercepted 977 kilograms of skunk on Wednesday 20th September in a trailer marked LSR 343 XW, bearing cartons of Maggi (seasoning). The skunk consignment was loaded into the truck at Ipele junction in Ondo state. While 959kg of the substance was meant for distribution in Sokoto state, the rest was to be dropped off at Gwagwalada.
“Two suspects: Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar have been arrested in connection with the seizure, while two other suspects: Mutari Abdulazeez, 31, and Ayuba Madaki, 28, were also arrested on Saturday 23rd September at Zuba area of the FCT with different quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis and 13, 930 pills of tramadol.
“In the same vein, Shuaibu Yusif, 27, and Abubakar Hussaini, 20, were on Saturday 23rd September nabbed with 89.1kg of skunk along Kano-Hadejia Road, Jigawa state during a stop and search patrol by NDLEA operatives.
“No fewer than 6,000 ampules of pentazocine injection were recovered from a suspect, Usman Musa Sidi, 35, on Monday 18th September along Abuja-Forest Road, Kaduna while on his way to Bauchi state. A follow-up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Dominic Chukwuma, 35, on Tuesday 19th September, with at least 2.58kg of Diazepam and 36.55kg of pentazocine injection recovered from his home.
“Two other suspects: Inuwa Nuhu and Isiyaku Dahiru Sani were also arrested the same Tuesday in connection with the seizure of 49 blocks of cannabis sativa concealed in a black sack weighing 26kg in a commercial vehicle coming from Ogere, Ogun state to Kano.
“While a total of 183kg of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, were recovered from body compartments of a J5 bus intercepted in Lagos on Wednesday 20th September, operatives in Sokoto, on Tuesday 19th September arrested one Charles Okeke, 44, with 473 bottles of codeine syrup at Unguwar Kosai area of Sokoto. In Edo state, 365 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 258kg were recovered from a Toyota Camry car marked KTU 886 EZ at Igarra, Akoko Edo LGA.”