The Kwara State commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), Hajia Fatima Popoola, on Tuesday disclosed that operatives of the command have intercepted and seized 2.318 tons of cannabis, with a street value estimated in billions of naira, in one week.
Popoola, who announced the seizure and the arrest of suspects at a news conference in Ilorin, the state capital, on Tuesday, disclosed that the cannabis was intercepted during two operations along the Offa and Omu Aran axis of the state command at about 3:00 am and 5:30 am.
The state NDLEA commander added that that four suspects arrested in connection with the seizures concealed the drugs among sacks of sawdust.
“This is one of the biggest seizures we’ve made in a single week in recent times, and the street value of what we seized runs into at least billions of naira.
“This shows just how serious the drug use and trafficking have become in Kwara State, ” Popoola said adding that one of the suspects, a driver, was caught with 1.2 tons of cannabis, another suspect with 300kg of cannabis, while the remaining 720kg seizure was linked to two suspects.
According to her, the drugs were reportedly concealed in Canter trucks and disguised as ordinary goods with sacks of sawdust to deceive NDLEA officials at checkpoints.
“A J5 vehicle was checked, which appeared to be empty, but we found it loaded with cannabis, and these operations took place mostly between 3:00 am and 5:30 am, when traffickers often move to avoid detection”, she said.
The state NDLEA boss, who said that drugs are at the root of many criminal activities, added that, “No sane person wakes up to commit inhumane acts or violent crimes. Most times, there is a drug influence behind it.”
While stating that that security challenges in places like Kaiama, Chikanda, Patigi, Edu, and Omu Aran are drug-related, she also said that while only 2 tons of drugs were seized in the whole of 2024, “the command has already seized over 2,000 kilograms between January and August in 2025”.
Popoola credited the success recorded to the synergy among sister security agencies, saying that, “the NDLEA is not working alone. We are working with the police, army, civil defence, and traditional rulers”.
The Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who was represented by the senior adviser/ counsellor, Alh Saadu Salahu, commended the NDLEA for the feat, adding that the arrests and seizures reflected the commitment of the AbdulRazaq-led government to eliminate illicit drugs in the state.
