Cannabis farms are becoming popular in Benue villages, as our correspondent, writes. This is raising concerns amongst families and authorities.
Eche Joe (not real name), spends all his time at farm everyday, working hard to put food on his family’s table, in the estimation of his wife.
She adores his occupational prowess in the face of the economic hardship. Many of his peers within their rural community of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State simply can’t measure up.
Her admiration for him however went south when he was arrested for cultivating Cannabis Sativa (Indian Hemp) for its economic advantage and to the detriment of the larger society. It was the first time she would know of what he was actually cultivating.
Similarly, Baba Apine (not real name) continues to make money from his Indian hemp farm said to be in Logo Local Government Area of the state despite consistent raids by security operatives.
A villager in the locality told our correspondent in Makurdi that the illicit business appears to be gaining ground not just within the local government but around neighbouring councils as well.
In the same vein, other local respondents, who preferred anonymity, from different areas of the state suggested that cannabis farming is thriving, mainly in faraway farms where the owners cultivate the plants in large quantities a development confirmed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Benue State.
The agency said those who patronize these farms come from neighbouring states.
The NDLEA raised an alarm, emphasising that Benue is fast becoming notorious for hard drugs cultivation instead of the legitimate farming it had been known for ever since.
In the past few years, the agency has expressed fear over the availability of cannabis sativa in almost all communities in the state, insisting that it was fuelling crime among the people.
The State Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Comrade Aondongu Saaku, described those involved in the illicit cultivation as criminals in disguise, not genuine farmers.
“Those doing Cannabis Sativa (Indian Hemp) farming are criminals. We in AFAN have been reporting them to law enforcement agencies. We have so far reported at least five cases,” he said.
Saaku, who assumed office as AFAN’s head in Benue in 2018, added that, since his coming on board, the body had been sensitised from the ward level to report any such suspected farming of illegal crop to the relevant agencies.
Recently, the NDLEA destroyed 28.019 tons of hard drugs comprising of cannabis sativa, narcotic and psychotropic substances seized from offenders across 23 LGAs of the state.
At the ceremony, the State Commandant of NDLEA, Florence Ezeonye, who led the Chairman of the agency and other top government functionaries to witness the destruction at the Industrial Layout, Naka Road in Makurdi, gave details about the cache.
“Today, we are destroying a total of 28.019 tones (28,019.64kg) of drug comprising of cannabis sativa, narcotic and psychotropic substances which is broken down as follows; Cannabis Sativa 15,3 1 3 .24 8kg, Tramadol, 812.919kg, Diazepam, 72.479kg, Rohypnol, 15.105kg, Exol, 149.491kg, Pentazocine, l30.6kg, other Psychotropic, 25.761kg, codeine based syrup 11,600.0kg, Cocaine 0.03 7kg,” she said.
About one-third of the cannabis sativa were from cannabis farmers in the state.
She therefore called on the traditional institution and other relevant authorities to do much more to help stem the tide for the betterment of the society.
Also speaking, the Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA), Colonel Mohammed Abdullah (retired), said that the insurgency in the northeastern region of the country continues to be fuelled by drug addiction.
“For the military personnel and police here, they would know. The real insurgency in the north-eastern region is fuelled by drug addiction. Not only do they consume it, they use it as a source of their funds to carry out their acts,” he said.
The NDLEA chief noted that the quantity of drugs exhibit seized by the state command and destroyed in public indicated that the cankerworm of drugs in the country was not abating, stressing that lands expected to be used for food cultivation in Benue are now being used for production of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp).
He worried that the development does not portend well for Benue, known as the ‘food basket of the nation,’ adding that farmers of the illicit plants also engage underage children, who ought to be in school, to tend their cannabis farms, thereby destroying the children’s future.
Abdullah further lamented that drug addiction has become a serious social problem even as it ordinarily proved to be the principal obstruction in the all-round development of the people, society and the country.
He also blamed further desertification on the activities of cannabis farmers who he said are ruining forests by felling trees to pave way for their illicit farming.
“Cannabis farmers should be supported with incentives that attract them to cultivate other legitimate crops with economic benefits,” the NDLEA chief added.
Similarly, the deputy governor of the state, Engr. Benson Abounu, lamented that people have found a lot of economic benefits in cannabis production to the extent that they have ignored the harmful effect of drug abuse on many in the society.
Abounu obviously concerned about the dangers of drug abuse cited instances with his neighbour’s son, a lawyer, an addict and a son of an important personality in the state, who died from drug overdose.
He further stressed the need for the NDLEA to also focus its searchlight on those higher up the rank of power because some of them use their gullible subordinates to perpetuate the illicit trade, narrating how his cousin, a soldier got involved in trafficking drugs for his commander between Benue and Enugu states.
He therefore appealed to the federal government to establish state-of-the art rehabilitation centres across the country to cater for victims of drug abuse as he noted that the rehabilitation centre in Makurdi was not anything near what it should be.
To this end, a Psychiatrist at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Makurdi, Dr. Obekpa Isaiah Obekpa, has called for a lasting solution to the menace by urging every hand to be on deck starting from parents.
“People should learn to take care of their children and relations while schools should teach children morals as normal academic to stay away from drugs just as the religious bodies do theirs. Government, on its part, must not abdicate its responsibility.
“The government has a role to provide healthcare, preventive strategies, programmes and policies that will saves the lives of people with media and civil society group playing their own roles,” he added.
Obekpa who is Head, Department of Psychiatric Unit at the FMC, emphasized that it was worrisome when one goes to some places in the state and sees a lot of young people on hard drugs. Such people hardly engage in meaningful activities and are easy targets for cults and street gangs.
He said there were no exact record for Benue State, but national statistics showed that there has been a rise in mental cases because of intake of hard drugs and that in Benue, the prevalence of mental illnesses ranged between anxiety, depression, substances disorder, psychotropic disorder and alcoholism.
While speaking on rehabilitation facilities, Obekpa said what is obtainable in the state was a mere drop in a mighty ocean.
“There is only one standard rehabilitation centre in the state run on private basis. Government facilities are not running rehabilitation. They just do treatment and the patient goes. But there is no standard rehabilitation by government available in the state to the best of my knowledge,” he said.
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