NDLEA secures 38 convictions, seizes 45,697kg of cannabis in Edo

The Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, on Thursday, said last year, it secured the conviction of 38 persons for drug-related offences in the state.

The Command explained that the convicts, including two females, were sentenced by the Federal High Court in Benin, the state capital, in 2018, while 161 other cases were still pending.

It also said that its officers arrested 339 suspected drug traffickers, comprising 271 males and 78 females, within the period.

The state Commander, NDLEA, Mr Buba Wakawa, stated that the agency made a total seizure of 45,743.19kg of various illicit drugs, with cannabis accounting for 45,697.14kg of the substances.

He noted that the command identified and destroyed over 32 hectares of cannabis plantations in different local government areas of the state.

Wakawa said 12 vehicles and three motorcycles used by suspected drug traffickers were also impounded.

The commander, however, identified inadequate operational vehicles as a major challenge militating against effective drug control operations in the state.

According to him, stronger vehicles are required to penetrate forests where cannabis is being cultivated.

He stressed that the war against illicit drugs must be taken seriously in order to effectively address the challenges of armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killing and cultism in the state.