NDLEA seizes 3,500kg of Indian hemp

The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ondo State Command, has seized not lees that 3,500 kg of Cannabis Sativa also known as Indian hemp in the last two months.

The agency’s State Commandant, Mr Muhammed Sokoto, who made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Akure.

He added that the command also destroyed 36 tonnes of the substance within the period.

He said the arrests were made at Owo, Ifon and Ile-Owo in Ondo North Senatorial District and Ogbese and Itaogbolu in Ondo Central Senatorial District.

The NDLEA boss said the command was collaborating with the Ondo State Government to use the confiscated plantation for cocoa farming under the cocoa revolution initiative of the administration.

"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.

"The government and the agency manage the farms and this initiative will eventually increase government’s revenue.

"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 sometimes give us necessary information that leads to the arrest of their bosses and the land owners,’’ he said.

The commandant noted that the agency was also saddled with responsibility of rehabilitating drug addicts.

According to him, three of such addicts were still on admission, while three others had been discharged after being certified non-adherent to hard drugs.

The NDLEA boss said 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.

Sokoto said the agency was also collaborating with the state command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in taking the campaign to motor parks.

He 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.