The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 43-year-old man, identified as Patrick Ojele, for allegedly disguising as a mentally unstable person while cultivating a hidden cannabis farm in Awka, the state capital.
Police spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Thursday, noting that operatives apprehended the suspect during a routine patrol along the Awka–Enugu Expressway, near Ngozika Estate, on Wednesday.
“The suspect pretended to be mentally ill to avoid suspicion, but during questioning, he later led our operatives to the concealed farm where large quantities of weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa were recovered,” Ikenga said.
According to him, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has ordered that Ojele be transferred to the Special Anti-Cultism Squad in Enugwu-Ukwu for further investigation.
“The arrest reflects the Command’s renewed strategy of cutting off criminal supplies by targeting drug dealers who embolden cultists and violent offenders,” Orutugu stated.
The Police Command disclosed that it has recently intensified operations against drug abuse and cult-related crimes in the state, leading to the arrest of at least 54 suspects, including 39 males and 15 females, in separate raids across Ogidi, Idemili North, and Ifitedunu in Dunukofia Local Government Areas.
Ikenga noted that the latest operations were part of efforts to curb rising criminal activities among young people between the ages of 18 and 26.
“The coordinated raids are aimed at restoring sanity in Anambra and dismantling networks that supply drugs and other banned substances,” he added.
