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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Oyo State command, on Thursday destroyed 43-hectare plantation of Indian hemp in Ibadan, the state capital.
The site is located in Gambari Forest in Oluyole Local Government of the state.
Fully armed men of the agency stormed the forest in company of officers of other law enforcement agencies including the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Department of State Security Services (DSS) and top officers of the Oyo State Ministry of Natural Resources and Forest Reserve.
The NDLEA State Commander, Mrs Faboyede Omolade, who spoke to journalists after the four hour operation expressed surprise at the new discovery which came barely one week after a 24-hectare plantation was destroyed in the state.
She said: “In order to achieve our goal of tackling drug trafficking and cannabis cultivation we need to partner with the state government.
“We were here last week and it is shocking to discover another 43 hectares of cannabis and from what we are looking at it can extend to about 2,000 hectares.
“If the state government brings investors to cultivate the land for agricultural purposes, it will be occupied and it will also serve as a means of empowering youths for employment.”
She stated that agricultural activities will ensure that the forest reserve, which spans about 11,000 hectares, is not destroyed further.
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