NDLEA discovers that 6 southern states have large hectares of Cannabis plantations

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Nigeria alongside some partners, The Cannabis Cultivation Survey carried out has revealed that there are about 8,900 hectares of cannabis cultivation in six southern states and of Nigeria.

The European Union funded the survey, done by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and it was discovered that the affected states; Edo, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo have about 133,500 plots of Cannabis.

The research has it that Edo and Ondo States border area had the highest density of cultivation.

The UNODC in a Friday statement by its Communications Associate, Ms Olivia Ogechi Okorondu, said its 2018 Drug Use Survey showed that cannabis was the most commonly used drug in Nigeria, noting that more than 10.6 million adults use it in Nigeria. “Over half of those admitted for treatment of illegal drug use were admitted for cannabis use.”

Giving the result of the research, the statement said,

“Being the first systematic exercise of its kind, the survey provides a baseline assessment of the extent of cannabis cultivation in Nigeria. It focuses on six south-western states of Nigeria that have been assessed as being at highest risk for cannabis cultivation.

“The methodology includes a remote sensing survey covering an area of 4,500 km in the six identified states, capturing 17,185 photos and collecting data from aerial overflights in 2019 and structured interviews with NDLEA experts working in the same six states in 2021.

“The key findings of the survey are: an estimated cultivation of 8,900 hectares of cannabis in six states with highest density in the border area between Edo and Ondo states; the location of cannabis fields deep inside dense forests, establishing linkages between cannabis cultivation and deforestation.”

It was revealed in the survey that cannabis farmers work together and supply the drug to the domestic market also export to various parts of the world.