Picture this: vast tracts of forest in Ondo State—verdant, remote, and quietly under siege by illicit drug cultivation. Land that should nurture food crops or support local communities is instead being eyed as prime real estate for cannabis farms. This disturbing trend caught national attention when the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) issued a direct warning to traditional rulers: unchecked land sales are fueling an illegal drug boom in the region.
This isn’t conjecture. In February 2022, the NDLEA deployed its Strike Force in a week-long campaign—Operation Abub—that obliterated 255 hectares of cannabis farms across five forests in Ondo, seizing over 250 kg of cannabis seeds and arresting 13 people in the process. These plantations were not random patches; they were sophisticated, irrigated operations sprawling deep into forest reserves. The agency placed an estimated ₦900 million price tag on the destroyed farms.
But here’s the crux: much of this land entered the scheme legally—via sales or allocations by local monarchs. The NDLEA’s red flag to traditional leaders is both a wake-up call and a turning point. It forces a hard look at how land transactions can either choke or catalyze the illicit drug-production trade.
In this deep dive, we’ll examine how land sales are being exploited, why monarchs have been put on alert, and what NDLEA’s strategy—backed by data and real numbers—reveals about the fight to curb illicit drug‑growing lands in Ondo State.
Background Context
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was established by Decree No. 48 in December 1989 (now an Act of Parliament) to eliminate the growing, processing, trafficking, exporting, and consumption of hard drugs in Nigeria. Operating under the Federal Ministry of Justice and headquartered in Abuja, the NDLEA maintains a presence across international airports, seaports, border points, and within states.
Since January 2021, the agency has been led by retired Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa. A former military governor of both Borno and Lagos states and a seasoned public administrator, Marwa has transformed the NDLEA’s approach. He replaced the simplistic “just say no” mantra with a data-driven, operational, and evidence-led strategy. Under his leadership, the NDLEA has made over 18,000 arrests, secured more than 2,300 convictions, and seized assets valued at over ₦90 billion.
Southwestern Nigeria, including Ondo State, is a hotspot for cannabis cultivation. A joint survey by the NDLEA, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and EU in 2019 revealed 8,900 hectares under cannabis across six southwestern states—Edo, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo. This work also mapped 133,500 individual cannabis plots, with the densest growth clustered around the Edo–Ondo border.
Notably, much of the cultivation occurs deep in dense forests, often as part of organized, commercialized enterprises. These farms rely on hired labor, develop irrigation infrastructure, and function year-round—signifying large-scale, professional operations rather than subsistence-level farming.
Ondo stands out for a few reasons: it offers ideal forest geography, provides concealment for illicit operations, and has seen a high concentration of syndicate-run farms. These factors combined make it a critical flashpoint in Nigeria’s ongoing battle to disrupt the drug trade.
Recent NDLEA Operations in Ondo
Since NDLEA issued its warning to monarchs, their operations in Ondo have showcased real impact.
Over seven days beginning February 15, 2022, the NDLEA led a concerted campaign across five forest areas in Ondo—Ogbese, Ipele, Omolowo/Powerline, Ala, and Utte/Okuluse. The agency destroyed 255 hectares of cannabis farms—equivalent to more than 630 acres—in one operation alone.
Seeds and plants seized included 250 kg of cannabis seeds and 63.85 kg of processed cannabis. Thirteen suspects were taken into custody during the raid. The team also seized pumping machines and over 700 meters of irrigation hose—evidence of irrigation-based, commercial cannabis farming. The destroyed plantations were worth approximately ₦900 million.
The operation cataloged systematic, irrigation-supported cannabis farming across substantial forest lands—proof of organized syndicates, not scattered subsistence plots.
In April 2025, Customs in the Ondo/Ekiti Command intercepted more than 1,400 kg of cannabis in transit, worth about ₦112 million, before handing it over to NDLEA. In February 2021, NDLEA recovered 1,292 kg of cannabis and seeds, thwarting cultivation across an estimated 250 hectares. This operation included arrests of nine suspects and highlighted major forest-based networks.
These operations confirm a few hard truths: cannabis cultivation in Ondo isn’t sporadic—it’s a recurring, systemic issue. These are professional operations guarded by syndicates, not village farms. NDLEA’s consistent raids and prosecutions prove they’re dismantling not just crops but also the infrastructure and finances that sustain these criminal ventures.
Land Sales: A New Enabler for Cultivation
NDLEA recent alerts directly blame unchecked land sales—primarily in rural, forested zones—as a key mechanism fueling cannabis cultivation in Ondo. These lands often pass through traditional rulers or local brokers without sufficient vetting, allowing criminal syndicates to acquire large tracts for their illegal farms. NDLEA has even cautioned monarchs and community landowners, stating that once a buyer is arrested for growing cannabis, landlords can be prosecuted alongside them.
Traditional rulers (monarchs) in Ondo are gatekeepers of customary land. The NDLEA’s message is clear: when land is sold without due diligence, these legal stewards may inadvertently facilitate criminal cultivation. NDLEA urges monarchs to scrutinize buyer identities and farm intentions, insist on proper documentation and transparent processes, and decline approval of land sales that appear suspect.
These legal transactions enable syndicates to quietly cultivate large areas without raising suspicion. NDLEA’s strategy reframes monarchs not as bystanders, but as active partners in combatting drug cultivation.
By targeting land access as a choke point, NDLEA is effectively plugging a supply pipeline before it emerges.
Impact of Illicit Drug-Farms
An NDLEA sweep in February 2022 revealed the sheer financial scale: 255 hectares of cannabis farms destroyed and valued at around ₦900 million. This single operation exposed a clandestine industry funneling substantial illicit money into forests meant for food or conservation. The economic draw of such profits drives repeated cycles of planting despite enforcement crackdowns.
These aren’t small backyard plots. The farms are professionally managed—equipped with irrigation systems like pumps and hoses stretching over hundreds of meters, and guarded by hired labor. Some raids even turned up weapons, including Dane guns hidden among the plantations. Such findings show that cultivation isn’t just agricultural—it involves organized crime networks, armed protection, and connections to broader trafficking syndicates.
Cannabis farms are claiming hundreds of hectares in protected forest areas. This deforestation is no small matter: it destroys biodiversity, disrupts water cycles, and leaves land vulnerable to soil erosion. Moreover, burning and clearing forests has long-term ecological repercussions, aggravating climate vulnerability.
The presence of large-scale cannabis farms changes community dynamics. Local youths may be enticed by fast money, shifting workforce trends from legitimate farming to illicit labor. NDLEA’s continued operations, like the arrests of 13 suspects during the major 2022 raid, suggest significant local involvement—sometimes turning family or community members into participants. This fuels dependency on illegal crops and propels a culture of normalization around drug cultivation and use.
Role of Monarchs & Community Stakeholders
The NDLEA’s warning to traditional rulers isn’t symbolic—it’s a direct appeal. Monarchs hold deep influence over customary lands in Ondo State: they allocate parcels, oversee transactions, and shape the patterns of land use. Their decisions determine who gains access to land, especially in rural, forested areas currently at risk.
In many parts of Nigeria, especially Ondo, land remains under customary tenure. Monarchs and chiefs act as custodians. Community members and outsiders alike must seek approval from these traditional figures before buying or leasing land. This status places monarchs at a crucial decision point: they can either unwittingly open doors to cannabis syndicates or bar them entirely by asking key questions—Who is the buyer? What do they intend to cultivate?
NDLEA reports indicate that organized syndicates rely on legal land transactions—they pose as legitimate farmers, purchase large tracts, and covertly build irrigation systems hidden within remote forests.
What NDLEA is asking monarchs to do is clear: scrutinize buyers, mandate documentation, collaborate with security agencies, educate the community, and help monitor new land users. With sound oversight, monarchs can act as the first line of defense—stopping criminal networks before they establish farms.
NDLEA’s Strategy to Curb Cultivation Through Land Control
The NDLEA has evolved its strategy—shifting from reactive eradication to proactive prevention. This multi-pronged approach zeroes in on land control and community engagement, aiming to strike at the root of illicit cultivation.
The NDLEA has publicly cautioned monarchs and landowners that approving land sales without proper scrutiny is tantamount to enabling drug syndicates. Landlords can be held legally liable if their lands are used for cannabis cultivation.
They’ve also expanded inter-agency collaboration—working with Customs, Forestry, Local Government, and Environmental Agencies. Joint operations and surveillance of high-risk zones now form a critical part of NDLEA’s intervention toolkit.
Targeted destruction operations remain in place. Operations like “Abub” have dismantled thousands of hectares of plantations and seized infrastructure including pumping equipment, irrigation systems, and firearms. Legal prosecutions now follow swiftly, with land custodians included where due diligence was ignored.
NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign now includes workshops for monarchs, community town halls, and bulletins warning of syndicate tactics. The agency isn’t just enforcing—it’s educating.
By combining enforcement, legal reform, land vetting, and public education, NDLEA is deploying a strategy that doesn’t just uproot plants—it uproots systems.
Recommendations
For Monarchs and Traditional Rulers
Institute rigorous buyer vetting and refuse suspicious land deals. Demand legal documentation and contracts for all transactions. Engage NDLEA in reviewing large land sales. Host community sensitization meetings on drug-related risks. Set up land monitoring committees.
For Government and Law Enforcement
Digitize and map land ownership, particularly forested zones. Pass and implement the updated NDLEA Act. Expand cross-agency coordination. Support legal, alternative farming programs for at-risk communities. Audit and regulate land transactions with random checks. Scale up sensitization campaigns.
For Civil Society and NGOs
Conduct grassroots education on environmental and legal risks. Create hotlines for land-related suspicious activity. Promote cooperative farming alternatives. Monitor and report land allocation abuses.
Through a clear, focused shift, the NDLEA is now confronting illicit cannabis cultivation not only by uprooting plantations, but by attacking the very foundation that enables them: land access. They’ve called on monarchs—holders of customary land authority—to scrutinize potential buyers, demand transparency, and refuse dubious transactions. This strategy isn’t theoretical; it builds on real successes, such as Operation Abub where 255 hectares of cannabis farms valued at ₦900 million were destroyed.
The imminent amendment to the NDLEA Act, currently awaiting presidential assent, signals a stronger legal backbone. Once enacted, it will empower NDLEA to hold not just cultivators, but also land custodians, accountable.
A community-centered approach—where monarchs act as gatekeepers, local committees monitor land use, and civil society equips residents with reporting channels and alternative livelihood options—is essential. When landholders, enforcement agencies, and communities align, the chances of criminal syndicates gaining a foothold diminish significantly.
In Ondo, the message is clear: to curb illicit drug-growing lands, you must start at the root—land—and empower those who control it. This strategy doesn’t just clear forests of illegal plantations—it builds walls of accountability, transparency, and resilience against future threats.
