The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested three suspects in connection with the cultivation of cannabis sativa in Ekiti State.
The NDLEA State Commander, Rufus Aina, said operatives destroyed a total of 125,750kg of cannabis sativa during operations in forests in Igbara Odo and Ilawe Ekiti.
A further 3,456kg of the illegal substance was recovered.
Aina’s comments were made in a statement issued on Thursday by the agency’s State Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics, Ifeoluwa Fabiyi, in Ado Ekiti.
The commander stated that the arrests, destruction, and recoveries were made during operations that took place between Friday, October 17, and Monday, October 20, 2025.
In the Igbara Odo forest, 72,500 kg of fresh cannabis sativa planted on 29.7 hectares of farmland was destroyed. A further 53,250kg of the substance was destroyed in the Ilawe Ekiti forest. Nursery beds of cannabis sativa awaiting transplantation were also destroyed.
The NDLEA commander reiterated his commitment to clamping down on the activities of growers in the state, which necessitated the launch of ‘Operation Weed Crusher 2025’.
He said, “The operation has been yielding positive results. It is a bold statement to drastically cut the supply chain of cannabis sativa in the state and, by extension, in the country,” he said.
“In a bid to sustain the onslaught against miscreants who have turned Ekiti forests into hotbeds for the commercial cultivation of cannabis sativa, the Ekiti State Command of the NDLEA stormed forests in Igbara-Odo and Ilawe Ekiti.
“Three suspects were arrested during the operation, which started on Friday, the 17th and lasted until Monday, the 20th, with the support of hired labourers.”
According to the statement, the Ilawe operation, led by the Deputy State Commander, Muhammed Yaro, led to the arrest of three suspects on the farm.
It added that a total of 40 labourers were hired to assist NDLEA officers with the destruction of the cannabis farms.
