Cannabis Cultivation In Abia Worries NDLEA

Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has expressed concern over the increasing rate at which the state was joining the league of cannabis cultivation.

She said that Abia had become the first state to record cultivation of cannabis in the South-East geo-political zone.

She said that a farm discovered early in June along Ikot-Ekpene Road, Umuahia, had since been destroyed and the suspect arrested.

The commander said that a total of 970.910 kilogrammes of hard drugs were seized in the state, which included cocaine, heroin and cannabis, while 223 suspects including 20 females were arrested.

Ezeonye said that Abia admired for its commerce and entrepreneurs had acquired the notoriety as the highest hard drug consuming and trafficking state in the South East.

According to her, the barons have ensured the availability of the drugs not only in Abia, but also in the five neighbouring states of Imo, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Bayelsa.

She said that the development had led to the upsurge in violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, bunkering and other vices in the state.

She said that cocaine and heroin had become common drugs of abuse more than cannabis now produced in the state.

Ezeonye said that new drug joints were springing up daily where criminal activities were planned, perfected and executed.

She said that the institutions of learning in the state were gradually being taken over by the drug scourge.

She commended Gov. Theodore Orji for the donation of an operational vehicle to enable the NDLEA to effectively cover the three senatorial zones of the state.