Ondo State government yesterday handed over 10 bags of seized cannabis to the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Leye Akinola, at the handover ceremony in Akure, said the 10 bags of cannabis were seized from planters within Akure forest reserve.
Akinola explained that the handover was part of efforts to enhance collaboration in the fight against the destruction of trees in forest reserves for cannabis cultivation and combating drug cultivation.
According to him, the seized cannabis is worth N200,000 per bag.
“This is part of the synergy between the drug agency and the ministry to combat the alarming rate at which planters are destroying trees in forest reserves for cannabis cultivation.
“The state government is willing to work with organisations to stop these illegal activities and protect the forests for the betterment of mankind as created by nature,” he said.
The commissioner vowed that the state government would do everything within the law to protect forests from destruction by encroachers.
Assistant State Commander in charge of Operations and Training, Mr Michael Apiri appreciated the state government for acting in accordance with the law.
He explained that handover showed that the state government values the rule of law.
According to Apiri, the war against illicit drugs is a global menace that requires holistic and technical approach to defeat because those involved are highly placed in the society.
“All hands must be on deck to fight illicit drugs, because no agency or organisation can win the fight without having synergy with other bodies,” he said.
The NDLEA official noted that the agency was empowered by law to keep seized illicit drugs in custody for future investigation and destroy them publicly at the appropriate time.
