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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Cannabis cultivation fuels kidnapping, cultism in Edo, warns NDLEA

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Cannabis cultivation in Edo State, Nigeria, is fueling a rise in kidnapping, arms proliferation, cultism, and youth exploitation, according to the NDLEA.
  • Forest lands are being converted into large-scale cannabis farms, displacing legitimate agriculture and creating insecurity.
  • The NDLEA commander stated that effective drug control could reduce crime by 50%, as many criminal acts are committed under the influence of drugs.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Edo State has issued a stark warning: cannabis cultivation is becoming a major driver of insecurity across the region. Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju described the escalating threat, linking the illicit farming directly to a surge in kidnapping, arms proliferation, cultism, and the exploitation of young people.

What started as hidden plots has grown into large-scale cannabis farms and a chain of insecurity.

— Mitchell OfoyejuNDLEA Edo State Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju describing the growth of cannabis cultivation and its link to crime.

Ofoyeju presented findings at a town hall meeting, revealing that forest areas once dedicated to food production have been transformed into extensive cannabis plantations. "What started as hidden plots has grown into large-scale cannabis farms and a chain of insecurity," he stated. The commander emphasized a direct correlation, asserting, "Where cannabis takes root, crime follows, and where cannabis grows, development dies."

Where cannabis takes root, crime follows, and where cannabis grows, development dies.

— Mitchell OfoyejuNDLEA Edo State Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju on the destructive impact of cannabis cultivation.

The NDLEA commander stressed the profound impact on public safety, estimating that "an effective drug control will reduce the problem of crime by 50 percent because most criminal acts are perpetrated under the influence of drugs." He detailed how cannabis cultivation fosters a violent ecosystem that destabilizes rural communities, creating a troubling nexus with criminal enterprises.

An effective drug control will reduce the problem of crime by 50 percent because most criminal acts are perpetrated under the influence of drugs.

— Mitchell OfoyejuNDLEA Edo State Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju on the potential impact of drug control measures.

This shift has led to the displacement of legitimate farming, with legal farmers living in fear of attacks and unable to access their lands. The situation has resulted in a dangerous abandonment of food production in favor of cannabis cultivation, alongside significant environmental pollution. Furthermore, Ofoyeju highlighted the devastating health consequences of substance abuse, including severe damage to vital organs, and linked drug use to the rise of cultism and violent criminality, noting that substances like tramadol, codeine, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine fuel brutal clashes and organized gang activities.

Drugs make cult members bold and reckless. They stop caring about human life or rules.

— Mitchell OfoyejuNDLEA Edo State Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju explaining how drugs fuel cultism and violence.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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