Human rights activist, Sahara Reporters publisher, and African Action Congress (AAC) 2027 presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has strongly criticised the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for destroying cannabis farms, describing the practice as idiotic and a waste of enormous economic opportunities while Nigeria grapples with multidimensional poverty.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Sowore reacted to recent NDLEA operations in Edo State, where the agency’s command destroyed two cannabis plantations measuring approximately 1.85 hectares with an estimated yield of 4,628.9 kilogrammes and arrested several suspects.
“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 stated.
“Stop destroying cannabis farms. Stop wasting enormous economic opportunities in the name of a failed and outdated policy.
“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. “You cannot burn your way out of poverty, foolish people!”
Sowore argued that Nigeria’s continued reliance on prohibition and destruction ignores global trends in which regulated cannabis industries generate billions in tax revenue, support medical research, create employment, and drive industrial production and exports. He pointed to countries such as Canada as examples of nations that have moved beyond outdated policies to economically benefit from the plant.
The activist has previously criticised similar seizures and destructions, including large cannabis consignments, as evidence of visionless and tunnel-vision policies that leave Nigeria lagging while other nations profit.
The NDLEA Edo State Command, led by Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju, confirmed the recent farm destructions were carried out following intelligence and in line with the agency’s operational directives under Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.). The agency has also pursued alternative development programmes aimed at transitioning some cultivators to legal crops in certain states.
Sowore maintains that enforcement through destruction alone fails to address poverty or unlock legitimate economic potential and that proper legalisation and regulation offer a better path for job creation, revenue generation, and industrial growth.