Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
A joint operation by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Edo State Command, and military personnel has led to the destruction of two cannabis plantations in Eko Camp, Illushi, located in the Esan South-East Local Government Area of the state, with the arrest of two male suspects and the recovery of over 1,460 kilogrammes of illicit drugs.
The NDLEA Edo State Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin on Monday. He said the operation was undertaken on September 23, 2026, as part of the command’s sustained campaign against drug abuse and trafficking in the state. According to Ofoyeju, the two farms measured a combined 0.544092 hectares and had an estimated yield of 1,360.23 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa. In addition, 107 kilogrammes of processed cannabis, including cannabis seeds, were recovered and destroyed at the farm. The operation targeted what the commander described as a criminal enterprise that had turned the state’s forests and farmlands into bases for drug cultivation.
The two suspects were identified as Ajeh Egwuda, 43 years old, married to one wife with two children, and Nonso Ajodhe, married to one wife with five children. Both hail from the Esan South-East Local Government Area of the state. According to Ofoyeju, the suspects claimed they took to cannabis cultivation as a result of poverty and the negative influence of friends. The commander disclosed that Egwuda was found cultivating a cannabis farm measuring 0.068011 hectares, with an estimated yield of approximately 170.03 kilogrammes of cannabis, while Ajodhe was found with a larger plot measuring 0.476081 hectares, with an estimated yield of 1,190.20 kilogrammes. Together, the two farms measured 0.544092 hectares, yielding a combined total of 1,360.23 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.
Ofoyeju framed the operation as both an enforcement action and a warning to others engaged in similar criminal activity. “Let this operation serve as a strong warning to those who see our forests and farmlands as bases for criminal enterprise,” he said. “The NDLEA Edo State Command will not rest until cannabis cultivation is rooted out of our communities. We are combining intelligence-driven surveillance, community engagement and decisive enforcement in this campaign.”
The commander expressed the command’s commitment to addressing the drug problem in the state, describing the operation as a reflection of the agency’s determination to protect communities from the harms of drug abuse and trafficking. He said the command would continue to collaborate with the armed forces and other stakeholders to dismantle drug networks and reduce the impact of illicit substances on society. He thanked the Commanding Officer of the Nigeria Army 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, for supporting drug enforcement efforts in the state, and stressed that the command would intensify its partnership with traditional rulers, community leaders and sister security agencies in Esan South-East and other affected areas. He appealed to residents to provide timely information that could lead to the arrest of other members of the cannabis networks.
The operation is the latest in a series of cannabis farm destructions and drug-related arrests recorded by the NDLEA Edo State Command in 2026. In September alone, the command destroyed five cannabis farms and arrested three suspects, including 39-year-old Sunday Segun, who was arrested at Ogboha Forest, and Hassan Mohammed, who was found with 7.1 kilogrammes of cannabis at Bob-Izua Park. In March, the command arrested 56 suspected drug traffickers and destroyed three cannabis farms measuring over 0.5 hectares, with an estimated yield of 1,266.85 kilogrammes. In May, the command destroyed two cannabis farms and arrested three suspects, including 25-year-old Eniye Osague and 44-year-old Osigwe Omogie. In July, the command raided Ikao Forest in Owan East Local Government Area, destroying two farms measuring 0.69763 hectares and arresting 45-year-old Patrick Imoukhede, who was found with 169 kilogrammes of processed cannabis. In August, the command arrested five suspected drug traffickers and destroyed another cannabis plantation.
The pattern reflects the scale of cannabis cultivation in Edo State and the challenge it poses to law enforcement. Edo, particularly its forested areas such as Eko Camp in Illushi, has long been identified as a hub for cannabis cultivation and trafficking. The NDLEA has consistently framed its operations as part of a broader strategy that combines intelligence-led surveillance, community engagement and enforcement. The agency has also emphasised the importance of community cooperation, stressing that residents’ willingness to provide timely information is critical to identifying and dismantling the networks that operate in the state’s forests.
For the communities of Esan South-East and other affected areas, the destruction of the cannabis farms represents a disruption of a criminal enterprise that has operated with relative impunity. For the NDLEA and the Nigerian Army, the joint operation demonstrates the value of inter-agency collaboration in tackling drug-related crime. For the two suspects in custody, the legal process will now determine their culpability, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. As Ofoyeju put it, the command will not rest until cannabis cultivation is rooted out of Edo State’s communities, and the operation of September 23 was another step in that campaign.
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