NDLEA burns 72 tonnes of skunk in Edo forest after gun battle
NDLEA Strike Force officers fought through armed guards' roadblocks to reach a warehouse in the Ujiogba Forest Reserve, Esan West, on 22 February 2023, destroying 72,286 kg of warehoused skunk and five hectares of plantation. One suspect was arrested and rifles were recovered.
🇳🇬 Ujiogba Forest Reserve, Esan West LGA, Edo State · Nigeria
Ahead of the 25 February 2023 general elections, operatives of Nigeria’s National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) stormed the Ujiogba Forest Reserve in Esan West LGA, Edo State,
where cartels had warehoused hundreds of jumbo bags of skunk for distribution.[1][2]
The special operation of Wednesday 22 February followed credible intelligence, but could not
proceed until Strike Force officers cleared roadblocks set up by the drug lords’ armed guards
and overpowered them in a gun duel.[1][2]Two rifles, spent short-gun cartridges and an
empty AK-47 shell were recovered, and 24-year-old Calvary Essien was arrested.[2]
After the gunfight, officers descended on a large warehouse built of wood and zinc holding
100 jumbo bags weighing 3.2 tons, 5,000 bags weighing 65 tons and 137 bags of cannabis
seeds weighing 4.66 tons, 72.286 tons in all.[2]They also destroyed five hectares of
cannabis plantation in the reserve.[1][2]Seven bags of cannabis and one bag of seeds were
kept for investigation and prosecution while the rest was set ablaze.[2]
Photos and video
Bags of seized skunk destroyed by NDLEA operatives in Edo State.Photo details
The NDLEA's Nasarawa State command destroyed cannabis farms of about 1.5 hectares each in Awe and Kokona Local Government Areas, its new commander CN Saidu Daniel said at Government House, Lafia. Governor Abdullahi Sule told the agency to search out and destroy cannabis farms on ungoverned land in the state.
NDLEA and soldiers destroyed a cannabis plantation covering 1.646 hectares at Eko Camp, near Illushi, Edo, on 28 October 2026. The agency estimated a potential yield of 4,115.53 kg and reported arresting a 50-year-old woman with 301 kg of processed cannabis.
State CID operatives on anti-crime patrol arrested Aondaver Dominic, Sylvanus Umoor and Peter Tar at Sabongida Bature and Gidan Kparev villages in Kadarko, Keana LGA, on 22 October 2026, recovering dry and fresh leaves suspected to be Indian hemp. A search of a garden behind the suspects' residence found more cannabis allegedly under cultivation; all exhibits were secured for NDLEA handover.
The NDLEA destroyed two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest, Uzebba, on 18 October 2026, burning 450 kg of processed cannabis and keeping 97 kg as exhibits. A 42-year-old woman was arrested nearby with 35 kg.
