Poverty Push: Two Nabbed as Military and NDLEA Flatten Esan Hemp Farms

​Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Edo State, backed by military personnel, have neutralized two illegal cannabis plantations totaling 0.544 hectares in the Esan South-East Local Government Area.

​The September 23 operation, executed at Eko Camp in the Illushi axis, resulted in the seizure and destruction of an estimated 1,360.23kg of cannabis sativa alongside 107kg of processed weed and seeds.

​Two local suspects—43-year-old Ajeh Egwuda and Nonso Ajodhe—were apprehended at the separate farm plots. According to the Edo State NDLEA Commander, Dr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, the suspects blamed economic hardship and negative peer pressure for driving them into illicit drug cultivation.

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​While Egwuda was linked to a 0.068-hectare plot yielding roughly 170kg, Ajodhe oversaw a larger 0.476-hectare expanse projected to yield nearly 1,190kg.

​Command leadership reiterated warnings against utilizing regional forests and farmlands for criminal syndicates, noting that the command remains steadfast in combining intelligence networks, community partnerships, and military reinforcement to root out drug trafficking.