By Mitchell Ofoyeju
.JPG)
A combined team of one hundred
National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) officers drawn from eight commands have
jointly raided Wese Forest Reserve and destroyed 184 hectares of
cannabis plantations. The raid operation which lasted 72 hours led to the
dismantling of a cannabis syndicate known as AKUNNUBAS. The Treasurer of the
group, Eke Sylvester, 37 and five members of the association were also
apprehended. They are Friday Julius, 28, Azonobi Godwin, 21, Leke Cletus, 29,
Festus Osagie, 30 and Charles Osanebi.
Since the commencement of
Operation Burn the Weed exercise in 1990 (where NDLEA officials discover and
destroy cannabis farms) the battle against cannabis cultivation has grown in
leaps and bounds. There is no State that has not recorded cannabis farm
destruction in Nigeria. From Lagos to Sokoto and from Adamawa to Rivers State,
the story is practically the same.
Cannabis grows effortlessly
across the length and breadth of the country. NDLEA statistics have shown that
large scale cultivation of cannabis occurs predominantly in the South West and
South South States of Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Edo and Delta. The scope of
cannabis cultivation has grown dangerously with grave security implications.
Operation Wese has revealed the
modes of operation of cannabis production syndicates and related implications
for the country. In Akure the capital of Ondo State, cannabis cultivators have
now organized themselves into illegal associations. The name of the cannabis
syndicate dismantled by Operation Wese is AKUNNUBAS. According to
investigation, this full-blown drug-trafficking network has an Executive arm
that oversees the administrative affairs of the group. There is a Task Force
that implements policies and decisions as well as a team of Advisers who serve
as consultants to the group on legal and technical affairs.
In a surveillance operation that
lasted for six months, the NDLEA was able to uncover the top hierarchy of
Akunnubas. The chairman of the group by name Akwuzonu is currently at large.
The chief scribe of the syndicate is known as Saky while Ojo is the manager of
the group. There is a Task Force headed by one Babatunde also known as
“Brazil.” The treasurer of the Akunnubas, Eke Sylvester known as Okworo is
among those apprehended during Operation Wese.
The Cannabis cultivators find
their way into the heart of Forest Reserves, cut down economic trees and
cultivate their deadly weeds. The clandestine activities of the drug cartel are
not known as legitimate farmers do not go that far into the forest to cultivate
their crops.
In the early hours of the day,
the 100-man tactical team drove into Wese Forest Reserve at Ipele area in Owo
Local Government Area of Ondo State. After driving for over two hours
along the narrow bush path, the team arrived at a point where the vehicles
could no longer negotiate the rough terrain rendered impassable by the heavy
rains. The team had to continue the rest of the journey on foot. Armed with
rifles, the team made its way through the heavy forest until they located the
first cannabis farm which had at its center a makeshift tent which served as
shelter for workers who provide security and look after the farm. The
tent was camouflaged by corn stalks strategically planted around it to conceal
it from view. Upon arrival, a suspect was apprehended and the farm was
immediately cordoned.
Armed with machetes, the officers
cut down acres of the cannabis farm and set the plants ablaze with the tent
before continuing their search for more farms. Within 50 metres they discovered
that several hectares had been cleared and converted into a large collection of
cannabis farms. The officers walked the length and breadth of each farm to accurately
calculate the size of the farms. This continued until it was getting dark and
the team withdrew to Akure NDLEA Command Office.
After a review of day one
activities that night, the team rested few hours before setting out very early
the following morning to continue the mission. Along the bush path one of the
suspects, Festus Osagie was promptly apprehended while trying to escape on a
motor bike with four bags of harvested cannabis weed. The three-day operation,
led to the discovery and subsequent destruction of approximately 184
hectares ( 456 acres) of cannabis plantations.
CANNABIS FARMS
Cannabis plantations are located
in the deep forests far beyond where legitimate farmers care to cultivate. The
process is kick-started by cutting down trees to create room for sunlight at
the nursery beds. It is from there the seedlings are transplanted to the farms.
Much labour is required at the preparatory stages because it involves falling
trees.
Investigation revealed that
members of the group hire people to work in the farms. Part of the illegal
workforce is drawn from minors and school age children. They are reportedly
paid the sum of ₦10,000 monthly. The farmers are often armed with Dane guns,
bows and arrows, and others weapons. According to the suspects arrested in the
farm, there were more than a hundred (100) labourers working on the farms.
During the dry season, cannabis
cultivators prefer locations closer to streams. They also dig wells to irrigate
the farms if other water sources are not available. In this way, cannabis
cultivation can take place throughout the year.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE COUNTRY
Cannabis cultivation has taken a
dangerous dimension with untold consequences for the entire country. The
adverse environmental effects of large scale deforestation taking place at the
cannabis plantations are alarming. This poses a serious threat to environmental
safety and food security in the country. While the forest is being depleted,
available farmland is speedily replaced with cannabis plants instead of food
and cash crops. The school age children who abandon education to work as
laborers soon begin to use the drug which adds to an already significant
drug-using segment of the population.
Investigation by the Agency at
various locations has revealed that farmers prefer to cultivate cannabis
because of the huge profit margin. Whereas a fifty-kilo bag of rice costs about
₦10,000 (ten thousand naira), a seven-kilo bag of cannabis sells for ₦50,000 or
even for ₦100,000 at peak periods. At retail price on the street, a wrap
of cannabis sells for between ₦50 and ₦100 naira.
The formation of Akunnubas is an
indication of the growing sophistication of the cannabis trade in Nigeria.
Violent confrontations between NDLEA and cannabis-producing and trafficking
organizations have resulted in the deaths of over a hundred (100) NDLEA
officers in the last twenty years. Just in June 2014, three officers were
killed in a mob attack while on official assignment in Owode, Ogun State.
The incident occurred during the
arrest of one Azeez Babatunde, a notorious cannabis dealer. The three NDLEA
officers who lost their lives, Bolaji Owolodun, Rabiu Usman Kazaure and Ishaku
Joshua, were overwhelmed by a mob that supported the drug lord and murdered
them in his defense, while other NDLEA officers barely escaped with their
lives.
The media is filled with news of
gruesome murders involving offsprings killing parents, friends, siblings and
neighbours. There are also stories of husbands killing wives and vice versa.
Recently, a 21-year old undergraduate student in Ogun State, Tolani Ajayi,
killed his father, Barrister Charles Ajayi. The lifeless body of the deceased
60-year-old, who was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was recovered in a box where
his son had deposited him. Investigation revealed that the killing, like
many others, was committed while the suspect was under the influence of drugs;
namely, cannabis.
CANNABIS TRAFFICKING
At maturity, the cannabis farms
are harvested, processed and stockpiled in a clandestine warehouse. It is from
the warehouse that it is smuggled to other parts of the country and abroad. The
cartel also has a cannabis processing factory equipped with compressing
machines. A seven kilo bag of cannabis can be compressed into the size of a
loaf of bread. In this way, large quantities of cannabis are neatly concealed
for export.
Common modes of concealment
include the use of foodstuffs and fruits. The cannabis is hidden in drums of
palm oil, bags of garri, beans and dried fish. Bags of cannabis are similarly
hidden under truckloads of wood planks, plantains, bananas, yams, oranges, and
mangoes. Some traffickers use bullion vans, smaller vehicles with tinted
glass and official or diplomatic vehicle number plates or pose as security
personnel to facilitate their drug-smuggling activities.
Numerous tankers with
false-bottoms and even bearing the trademarks of major petroleum marketers have
been found to contain cannabis. As ingenious as are these methods employed by
drug traffickers, anti-drug officials continue to battle them tirelessly. On
one occasion the NDLEA discovered a clandestine warehouse located in a
residential building in Ibadan Oyo State where 83 tons of cannabis was being
stored.
Cannabis constitutes over 90
percent of NDLEA’s drug seizures and represents the nation’s most serious drug
challenge. Official records indicate that between 1990 when the NDLEA was
established through 2013; the Agency made seizures totaling 3,583 tons of
narcotics. Out of this figure, cannabis constitutes the largest share with 3,403
tons. Psychotropic substances are next with 156 tons, cocaine 20 tons and
heroin 3 tons. These seizures by NDLEA from cannabis cultivators amount to over
₦50 trillion in denied cannabis sales and serves to shed light on the
astoundingly lucrative nature of the illegal drug trade.
The 2014 World Drug Report has
scored Nigeria highest in cannabis seizure in Africa. “Nigeria remains the
country with the largest seizures of cannabis in the region followed by Egypt”
the report noted. The cannabis is not only for domestic consumption but
is in large part exported to other African nations and has even been seized by
law enforcement officials as far away as Europe and Asia. In South
America drugs have for years provided a steady source of income for terror groups
such as Colombia’s FARC and AUC and it cannot be ruled out that home-grown
groups could also reap huge rewards from the trade.
In his reaction following the
Agency’s successful operation, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu
Giade reiterated his determination towards eradication of narcotic drugs in the
country. “The battle line is drawn and there is no going back. The activities
of drug cartels must be resisted at all levels. Let us deploy every resource at
our disposal in drug control programs. The ultimate goal is to cut off drug
supply and reduce the demand for drugs” Giade stated.
THE WAY FORWARD
In view of the latest trend,
there is an urgent need for a serious focus of government attention on cannabis
cultivation and efforts must be made by government to eradicate it. The illicit
cannabis farmers’ associations should be proscribed, condemned and members
diligently prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. NDLEA should be
provided with equipment, tools, and training equal to the task of combating
elusive and clandestine organizations that spare no expense to protect their
investments whether it be though violence or corruption. In that same
vein, sorely-needed operational funds should be provided for the Agency to
source for intelligence. There should be improvement in the provision of
general logistics for smooth operations. Citizens must be motivated to assist
government in identifying drug traffickers and their farms, for the task are
daunting. Alternative development programs where farmers are assisted to shift
from cannabis cultivation should be adopted. More enlightenment programs are required
to create awareness on the dangers of cannabis cultivation and use. There
should be a deliberate effort to involve parents, teachers, community leaders,
religious/opinion leaders, children and workers in drug prevention, demand
reduction, and rehabilitation programs. Farmers should be encouraged and
motivated with improved seedlings, fertilizers and agricultural loans so as to
counteract the dangerous consequences also brought about by the rampant
cannabis cultivation.
An air survey of forest reserves
across major cannabis producing States should be conducted to ascertain the
level of cannabis cultivation. Necessary measures must be taken to address the
proliferation of cannabis farms. Government at all levels should actively
support anti-drug efforts. The war can only be won when stakeholders unite
against drug syndicates. The situation must be checked before it spirals out of
control.
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