The chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Maj.-Gen. Buba Marwa, on Monday said terrorists and kidnappers now live in cannabis-growing communities across Nigeria.

Mr Marwa said this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during a courtesy visit to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa ahead of the Alternative Development Project campaign targeted at engaging illicit drug growers in the state.

“The Boko Haram, the terrorists, the kidnappers—in fact, the kidnappers now, through our intelligence sources, have been shown to live among the cannabis-cultivating communities in the deep forests.

“And that makes sense to them. Why not establish a base where the drugs are readily available? In Ondo State, the drug use prevalence is 17 per cent, which is approximately 400,000,” Mr Marwa stated.

He said the agency created the Alternative Development Project unit to discourage the peasant farmers from growing the illicit drug, especially cannabis sativa.

Mr Marwa said the programme, which will not stop the enforcement role of the agency, was another way to combat terrorists and other criminals who now stay closer to where illicit drugs are being produced.

According to him, the drug use prevalence is unacceptably high, with about 15 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 using drugs, according to the last United Nations drug use survey of 2018.

Mr Marwa said that the figure means that one in seven Nigerians in the age bracket uses drugs, and the Alternative Development Project campaign would be starting in Ondo State.

The NDLEA chairman, who said the agency had convicted 128 drug barons in the last five years, disclosed that of the 15,000 tonnes of illicit substances that the agency seized during the same period, over 75 per cent was cannabis sativa.

According to him, 70 to 75 per cent of those using drugs in Nigeria actually use cannabis sativa.

“In 2025, the NDLEA in Ondo State made 336 arrests with seizures of 22,316 kilogrammes of illicit substances, convicted 62, and seized and destroyed 207,000 kilogrammes worth of cannabis in the plantations and farms.

“We have a counselling and rehab centre here; we’ve treated 243, but more significantly, your excellency, Ondo State is the highest producer of cannabis in Nigeria for several reasons, including the climate and the nature of the soil. It encourages this type of trade,” he said.

Mr Marwa appreciated the governor’s efforts in the fight against illicit drugs, adding that NDLEA was carefully reviewing its law enforcement efforts and had decided to choose an alternative path instead of constant raids and arrests.

In his remarks, Mr Aiyedatiwa praised the NDLEA boss for his efforts and commitment towards ensuring that society is rid of illicit drugs.

“We, as the government, will support you in any way that we can to ensure that we achieve the needed success,” Mr Aiyedatiwa added.

(NAN)