Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the continued destruction of cannabis farms by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), describing the practice as economically wasteful and an “idiotic” approach to tackling Nigeria’s drug problem.
Sowore made the remarks in a post on X while criticising the agency for destroying cannabis plantations that, according to him, could have significant economic value at a time Nigeria is grappling with widespread poverty, unemployment and declining economic opportunities.
“It is idiotic, [@ndlea_nigeria] wake up, put on uniforms, march into farms, and set economically viable crops worth millions of dollars ablaze while your country is drowning in multidimensional poverty,” Sowore wrote.
The AAC presidential candidate accused the NDLEA of continuing what he described as a “failed and outdated policy” instead of exploring the potential economic, medicinal and industrial uses of cannabis under a regulated framework.
“Stop destroying cannabis farms. Stop wasting enormous economic opportunities in the name of a failed and outdated policy,” he said.
Sowore further called for the legalisation and proper regulation of cannabis in Nigeria, arguing that a policy shift could create employment opportunities, generate government revenue, attract investment and support the development of an agricultural and industrial sector around the crop.
“Legalize and properly regulate cannabis. Invest in research, harness its legitimate medicinal and industrial potential, create jobs, generate revenue, and build an industry Nigerians can benefit from,” he added.
The activist also criticised the continued destruction of cannabis plantations in the country, declaring: “You cannot burn your way out of poverty, foolish people!”
Sowore’s comments came amid renewed NDLEA operations targeting cannabis cultivation and trafficking across Nigeria.
The Edo State Command of the NDLEA announced on Monday, August 17, that its operatives had destroyed two cannabis plantations with an estimated combined yield of 4,628.9 kilogrammes and arrested 10 suspected drug traffickers in separate operations across the state.
The state NDLEA Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this in a statement, saying the operations followed credible intelligence and were conducted as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to dismantle illicit drug cultivation and trafficking networks.
According to Ofoyeju, the two cannabis farms were discovered and destroyed at Ugboku, Igbanke Forest, in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.
The command also carried out separate raids at identified drug flashpoints in Oluku, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, and Abuja Quarters in Oredo Local Government Area of Benin City.
Ofoyeju said the operations were conducted in line with the operational order of the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, directing commands across the country to intensify efforts to dismantle illicit drug locations.
“In a renewed offensive tasking order, the command discovered and successfully destroyed two cannabis farms that measured 1.851591 hectares with an estimated yield of 4,628.9775 kilogrammes,” Ofoyeju said.
He disclosed that one suspect, identified as 40-year-old Agholor Elebojie, was arrested in connection with the first plantation, which measured 0.699792 hectares and had an estimated yield of 1,749.26 kilogrammes of cannabis.
The second plantation measured 1.151889 hectares and had an estimated yield of 2,879.7225 kilogrammes of cannabis before it was destroyed.
“Additionally, two bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 12.4 kilogrammes were recovered from the second farm,” the commander added.
The latest operation is part of a broader campaign by the NDLEA against cannabis cultivation across the country.
In April 2026, the agency destroyed an eight-hectare cannabis farm in Cross River State and recovered 170 kilogrammes of processed cannabis during the operation.
The agency had also previously cleared six hectares of cannabis farms in the state, destroying about 15 tonnes of cannabis and recovering 119 kilogrammes of processed cannabis.
The NDLEA has consistently maintained that the destruction of cannabis plantations is necessary to fulfil its statutory responsibility of combating illicit drug cultivation, production and trafficking in Nigeria.
In July 2023, the agency announced the destruction of 33 hectares of cannabis farms across Ondo and Edo states, including a 29-hectare plantation in Ondo State, where 118.5 kilogrammes of processed cannabis were recovered.
Sowore, however, has repeatedly challenged Nigeria’s prohibitionist approach to cannabis, arguing that the country risks losing substantial economic opportunities by treating the crop solely as an illicit substance rather than developing a regulated system for its legitimate uses.
In July 2026, he also criticised the seven-year prison sentence handed to a Kano man for advertising cannabis for sale online, arguing that cannabis is increasingly being regulated and commercially utilised as a legitimate cash crop in several jurisdictions.
His latest comments are expected to intensify the debate over Nigeria’s cannabis policy, particularly the question of whether the country should continue with the outright criminalisation and destruction of cannabis plantations or consider a tightly regulated framework that allows medicinal, industrial, agricultural and other legitimate uses while maintaining controls against abuse and illicit trafficking.
The controversy places economic policy, public health, criminal justice and drug-control enforcement at the centre of a growing national debate over how Nigeria should respond to cannabis cultivation and its potential economic value.