The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed a 30-hectare cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) plantation in a forest located in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Speaking in Calabar, the State Commander of the NDLEA, Rachel Umebuali, said several suspects were arrested in connection with the illegal farm, lamenting that some locals were aiding and shielding drug merchants from law enforcement.
Umebuali disclosed that 163.9kg of cannabis sativa seeds were also recovered from the plantation. She added that from January to June 2025, the command seized a total of 6,716.8kg of illicit substances across the state.
Providing a breakdown of the seizures, she said:
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2,935kg of cannabis sativa
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129.6kg of methamphetamine
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82.7kg of psychotropic substances
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33.3 litres of cannabis mixture
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47.7kg of cocaine
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32.3kg of heroin
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69.7kg of opioids and barbiturates
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5 grams of ecstasy
The commander also revealed that 191 persons were arrested, with 15 convictions secured during the period under review.
“What is worrisome in the findings is that most of these drug peddlers are not indigenes of the state,” Umebuali said. “They come here and give money to the locals who protect them by not giving out information on their unholy activities.”
She commended the active support of the state’s First Lady, Eyoanwan Otu, in NDLEA’s anti-drug campaigns, noting that this year’s World Drug Day was successfully marked under the theme: “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention.”
As part of its preventive approach, the command conducted 191 sensitisation programmes in schools, markets, churches, mosques and among civil society groups across the state in the first half of the year.
Umebuali, however, identified underfunding and logistical constraints as major challenges affecting the agency’s operations in the state.
