NDLEA, soldiers destroy two cannabis farms in Edo, arrest two
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, supported by soldiers, have destroyed two cannabis farms in Edo State with a combined estimated yield of 1,360.23 kilograms, according to the agency.
The operation was carried out on September 23 at Eko Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South-East Local Government Area.
NDLEA said two men were arrested during the operation.
Farms covered more than half a hectare
Edo State NDLEA Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju said the two plantations covered a combined 0.544092 hectares.
The agency estimated their combined cannabis yield at 1,360.23kg.
NDLEA also reported 107kg of processed cannabis, including seeds, at the location.
Those acreage and weight figures are agency measurements and estimates. IDNN has not independently measured the farms or the processed material.
Two suspects arrested
Ofoyeju identified the arrested men as Ajeh Egwuda, 43, and Nonso Ajodhe.
NDLEA attributed separate sections of the plantations to the two suspects, reporting that one farm measured 0.068011 hectares with an estimated yield of 170.03kg, while the other measured 0.476081 hectares with an estimated yield of 1,190.20kg.
Those links remain part of the agency’s case and do not establish guilt.
The sources reviewed by IDNN do not establish that either man has been formally convicted.
Alleged motive remains agency account
NDLEA said the suspects told investigators that poverty and the influence of friends led them into cannabis cultivation.
Any such statements remain part of the agency’s account of an active investigation.
They should not be treated as independently verified motive or as judicial findings.
NDLEA says campaign will continue
Ofoyeju said the Edo command was combining surveillance, community engagement and enforcement to combat cannabis cultivation and trafficking.
He also said the agency would continue working with the military and community leaders.
NDLEA’s national operational update separately confirms that its officers, supported by soldiers, destroyed two farms at Eko Camp with a combined estimated yield of 1,360.23kg on September 23.
The agency has reported other cannabis-farm operations in Edo in recent months, but those separate cases should not be merged with this investigation or used to infer a common network.
Prosecution becomes the next test
The next legal question is what evidence NDLEA will place before prosecutors and whether formal charges will follow.
For enforcement agencies, another question is whether the operation leads to evidence of wider cultivation or distribution activity.
No wider cultivation or trafficking network involving the two arrested men has been established from the material reviewed by IDNN.
For now, the verified position is that NDLEA says two farms were destroyed, 107kg of processed cannabis was reported at the location and two suspects were arrested during a joint operation supported by soldiers.
IDNN will track the suspects’ legal status, any formal charges and further evidence released by the agency.