The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Monday said it arrested 16 suspects in Niger State for being in possession of 96.55 kilogramme of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.
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The state Commander of the agency, Alhaji Abdullahi Abdul, said in Minna, the state capital that the arrests were made in various parts of the state last month.
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He said: "The Niger command of NDLEA carried out a number of raids and routine stop and search operations in November 2013.
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"The operations led to arrest of 16 suspects and a seizure of 96.55 kilogramme of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) and one kilogramme of psycho tropic substances," he said.
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Abdul said that about 800 grammes seeds of Indian hemp were also impounded from an illicit hemp farmer in Babana, a border town with BeninRepublic in Kainji Local Government Area.
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He added that the quantity of seeds recovered showed that marijuana was being cultivated in the border town or somewhere near the town.
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Abdul said the command was working on a lead with a view aim of achieving a major breakthrough in its counter narcotic efforts by identifying and destroying marijuana farms in the area.