The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Edo State Command, has arrested 68 suspected drug traffickers and seized 7,531.51kg of drugs in August 2026.
Mitchell Ofoyeju, the Commander of the Edo State NDLEA Command, shared this information in a statement on Thursday.
He said the command’s August results show their strong commitment to fighting drug trafficking and drug abuse in the state.
Ofoyeju mentioned that many intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of 68 suspected drug traffickers, with 34 males and 34 females.
"The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Edo State Command, has arrested 68 (34 male and 34 female) suspected drug traffickers with 7,531.51kg of narcotic drugs in the month of August 2026.
"The gender balance supports the fact that drug use does not care about gender. Also, a shocking total of 7,531.51kg of illegal drugs was seized and taken off the streets, which is a major hit to drug distribution networks in the state.
"The breakdown of the seizures includes 7,524.83kg of Cannabis sativa, with 1,098.177kg seized directly and 6,433.33kg of cannabis destroyed in the farms. There are also 5.3311kg of psychotropic substances, 0.0668kg of methamphetamine, and 34.8 litres of codeine syrup," he added.
Ofoyeju expressed the command’s determination to step up its fight against drug trafficking in Edo State.
"We are committed to tackling the drug issue in Edo State. Our recent actions show our commitment to removing drugs from our communities and catching those who want to profit from the pain of others.
"We will keep working with community leaders, media groups, and law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and health of our people," he said.
In a bid to fight drug farming, Ofoyeju said officers found and destroyed four cannabis farms in the state.
He explained that the first farm, located at Igbanke Forest, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, covered 0.699702 hectares, with an estimated yield of 1,749.255kg.
The second farm, also in Igbanke Forest, Orhionmwon LGA, was 1.15188 hectares, with an expected yield of 2,879.7kg. The third farm, at Ukaro Forest in Owan West LGA, was 0.496383 hectares, with an estimated yield of 1,240.9575kg.
The fourth farm, at Ewe Forest, Owan West LGA, measured 0.225366 hectares, with an estimated yield of 563.415kg.
Ofoyeju said the total area of the farms was 2.573331 hectares, with a total estimated yield of 6,433.33kg of cannabis destroyed. This shows the command’s active approach against drug production.
He mentioned that there were no convictions yet because the Federal High Court was on break, but three new cases were filed, while 87 others are pending.
The command has also expanded its community outreach efforts. Its Counselling and Treatment Rehabilitation Unit and Prevention Sensitisation Unit have been busy addressing the social effects of drug abuse.
According to him, the units provided counselling to 23 clients and enrolled 12 people in vocational training, including tailoring, perfume-making, and liquid soap production.
To support prevention and education, the command held five sensitisation programs attended by over 2,150 male and female participants.
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