The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed an eight-hectare cannabis farm in Cross River State.
The operation, which took place on Sunday, was disclosed by the spokesperson of the NDLEA Cross River Command, Sebastian Lebo, in a statement issued in Calabar and reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
During the operation, NDLEA operatives, working alongside soldiers from the 13 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, recovered 170 kilograms of cannabis that was being processed at the site.
What they are saying
Lebo disclosed that the operation was carried out in Uyanga community, Akamkpa Local Government Area, where an eight-hectare cannabis plantation was destroyed as part of ongoing enforcement efforts.
- He added that the latest operation followed a previous raid in Uwet community within the same local government area, where six hectares of cannabis farmland were cleared, with about 15 tons of the substance destroyed and 119 kilograms of processed cannabis recovered.
He further assured Nigerians that under the leadership of Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), the NDLEA remains committed to its mandate of combating illicit drug activities and ensuring communities are free from drug-related threats.
Get up to speed
This is not the first time the NDLEA has destroyed large cannabis plantations in Cross River State.
- In June last year, the agency announced the destruction of a 30-hectare cannabis sativa plantation located in a forest in Odukpani Local Government Area of the state.
- During that operation, 163.9 kilograms of cannabis seeds were also recovered.
Similar crackdowns have been recorded in other parts of the country. In April 2024, the NDLEA destroyed a massive cache of narcotics totaling 304,436 kilograms and 40,042 litres.
What you should know
The latest operation is part of a broader crackdown on illicit drugs in Nigeria’s South-South region.
- On April 21, Nairametrics reported that the NDLEA secured an interim forfeiture of opioids valued at over N33.6 billion intercepted at the Onne Port in Rivers State. The seizures occurred at different times between April and September 2025.
- In June 2025, NDLEA intercepted seven watch-listed containers containing opioids and codeine syrup valued at N9.3 billion at the same port complex.
- Similarly, in August 2025, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) seized 16 containers of fake and substandard regulated products worth about N20.5 billion at Onne.
Additionally, in the first quarter of 2026, the agency seized illicit drugs worth more than N1.8 billion and arrested 104 suspected traffickers in Edo State alone.
