Alleged mad man nabbed after years of cultivating secret Indian Hemp farm in Anambra

Awka residents were left in shock on Wednesday, after the Anambra State Police Command exposed a 43-year-old man, Patrick Ojele, who allegedly disguised as a lunatic while running a secret cannabis farm right in the heart of the state capital.

The drama unfolded on September 17, 2025, when eagle-eyed operatives attached to the Operations Department, Awka, spotted the suspect loitering suspiciously along the Awka–Enugu Expressway near Ngozika Estate.

Upon arrest, Ojele reportedly confessed and led the police to his well-hidden farm where bags of weeds, believed to be cannabis sativa, were harvested.

Police sources say the suspect had been pulling off the act for over two years, fooling passersby with his fake madness while cultivating the illegal crop under cover.

Speaking on the breakthrough, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc MNIPS PhD, hailed the operatives for their vigilance, stressing that the Command had stepped up its war against illicit drug dealers who bankroll cultists and violent gangs across Anambra.

“This arrest reflects our renewed strategy of cutting off criminal supplies by targeting drug barons. The suspect will be handed over to the Special Anti-Cultism Squad (SPACS), Enugwu-Ukwu, for discreet investigation and to trace his buyers,” CP Orutugu stated.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the arrest in a statement, urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious persons hiding under false appearances.

Meanwhile, Ojele’s arrest has stirred heated discussions among Awka residents, many of whom expressed shock at how a “madman” outsmarted them for so long while cultivating a booming illegal trade.

Alleged mad man nabbed after years of cultivating secret Indian Hemp farm in Anambra