By Okhide Em’ya David
Edo state command of the Nigerian Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has seized two hundred and thirty three thousand, seven hundred and seventy-eight kilograms (233,778kg) of dried Indian hemp also known as Cannabis, with an estimated street value of over N1.4 billion naira.
Commander Edo state NDLEA, Buba Wakawa said in Benin that it was the largest single concentration of cannabis discovered by the command, adding that the illicit drug village comprising four large cannabis warehouses were secretly tucked away or concealed inside Ukpuje forest in Owan West Local Government Area of the State.
According to him, Seven suspected Drug Barons, including the chairman of vigilante group in Ukpuje, Emmanuel Oki, 62 years; Chief Odi Sabato, 42 years; Bright Inemi Edegbe, 53 years; Gowon Ehimigbai, 53 years; Enodi Ode, 37 years; Ayo Oni, 30 years and Akhime Benjamin, 43 years.
He gave the breakdown of the drugs as, 318 bags of 80kg, each weighing 25,440kg; 15,853 bags of 13kg weighing 206,089kg. However, while the total quantity seized is 2,249kg others weighing 231,529kg were destroyed at the farm.
Wakawa ascribed the success of the operation to the enabling environment created by the new Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Brigadier General Buba Marwa.
His words: “We took delivery of two new Hilux operational vehicles presented to the command last week. This is the first assignment of the vehicles and it turned out to be the best for the command. We are grateful to the chairman, and this is a clear warning that there is no room for drug barons in the State.”
He added that the seizures represented a large chunk of the previous cannabis planting season.
The NDLEA said: “The drug Barons planted, watered, harvested and processed the weeds only for the Command to dispossess them of their labour because their action was criminal. The warehouses were located in the heart of the forest, yet our Men were able to uncover them based on intelligence gathering.”
“The Ukpuje Forests and Environs known to be notorious for cannabis cultivation and trafficking as well as attacks on law enforcement officers, stood still as a combined team of NDLEA and combatant military personnel overran the drug trafficking syndicates due to our superior fire power” the commander stated.
