Awka residents were left in shock on Wednesday after the Anambra State Police Command discovered a 43-year-old man, Patrick Ojele, who allegedly posed as a lunatic while secretly running a cannabis farm in the state capital.

The incident occurred on September 17, 2025, when operatives attached to the Operations Department in Awka noticed the suspect acting suspiciously along the Awka–Enugu Expressway, close to Ngozika Estate.

Following his arrest, Ojele reportedly confessed and took the police to his concealed farm where bags of suspected cannabis sativa were harvested.

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According to Daily Post, police investigations revealed that the suspect had been perfecting the act for more than two years, deceiving passersby with his pretended insanity while cultivating the illegal crop in secrecy.

Confirming the breakthrough, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc MNIPS PhD, commended the vigilance of his operatives and stressed the Command’s renewed determination to clamp down on illicit drug dealers who provide financial backing to cultists and violent gangs across the state.

“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.

Also reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the arrest in a statement, urging members of the public to remain observant and promptly report suspicious persons who may be hiding under false appearances.

Meanwhile, Ojele’s arrest has sparked heated conversations among Awka residents, many of whom expressed shock over how a supposed “madman” deceived the community for years while running an illegal cannabis business.