After 12 years on the run, wanted drug lord Lekan “Kanmo-Kanmo” Jimoh has been arrested by the NDLEA.
Tactical teams tracked Jimoh to his hideout in Owode, Ogun State, on Friday, where they also recovered 69kg of illicit cannabis.
Agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed that Jimoh’s wanted status dates back to June 2014, following a deadly ambush on NDLEA operatives.
The suspect is accused of orchestrating an armed attack that led to the killing of three officers who had attempted to raid his enclave over a decade ago.
He said: “Following his involvement in the brutal killing of three NDLEA officers, Kanmo-Kanmo, who is notorious for drug trafficking, evading arrest and mobilising armed thugs against security agents, was on Friday, 16th January 202,6 tracked to his hideout in Owode town, Ogun State by tactical teams of the agency following credible intelligence. During the clinical operation, the suspect was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
“The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the agency’s commitment to ensuring that no fugitive, regardless of how long they evade justice, remains beyond the reach of the law.
“Lekan Jimoh’s criminal history is marked by extreme violence and lawlessness. As a result, he had on 15th June 2014 orchestrated a barbaric mob action against a team of NDLEA officers who had attempted to arrest him at his enclave.
“The attack resulted in the cold-blooded murder of three NDLEA officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two others, who were killed by armed thugs mobilised by Jimoh. While the suspect managed to escape the scene that day, the agency remained resolute in its pursuit of justice for the fallen heroes.”
Persecondnews recalls that on August 12, 2023, NDLEA operatives had raided Jimoh’s residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, where 139 sacks of skunk weighing 1,922 kilograms were recovered.
The suspect again evaded arrest at the time.
The property, which was used as a drug warehouse, was later forfeited to the Federal Government following court proceedings.
In a separate operation, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives in Edo State on Tuesday, January 13, raided Arokpa forest in Uzebba town, Owan West Local Government Area, arresting a 53-year-old suspect, Isihor Edika, and seizing 320 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds.
In Abuja, Babafemi said a 44-year-old woman, Yinka Agboola, at Kaura District, over the alleged online sale of illicit drugs was arrested.
He said items recovered from her residence included 2.2 kilograms of skunk and quantities of cannabis oil.
“In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, operatives on Friday, 16th January, tracked and arrested a 44-year-old lady, Yinka Agboola, following intelligence on her online sale of illicit substances.
“At the time of her arrest, 2.2kg of skunk and litres of cannabis oil, which she produces in her kitchen and sells through online advertisement, were recovered from her home at the Kaura district, Abuja. Another suspect, Tordue Pius Richard, 30, was on Tuesday, 13th January arrested with 148.3 grams of cocaine and skunk at his 12 Biskira Street, Abacha Estate, Abuja home.”
In Lagos, he said NDLEA officers seized 118.1 kilograms of skunk from Dauda Kareem and Saheed Obisesan at Fadeyi, Mushin, on Friday, January 16.
On the same day, 116 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a warehouse at New Market area of Enugu, Enugu State.
Along the Onitsha–Asaba Expressway in Delta State, Babafemi said two suspects, Zaharadeen Yahaya, 25, and Sanusi Maman, 23, were arrested on Thursday, January 15, while transporting 410,800 pills of tramadol, 84.2 litres of codeine syrup, 82,250 tablets of diazepam, 900 tablets of swinol and 65 pills of Molly.
“Oyo state, Adetunji Ahmed Abayomi, 33, was nabbed on Thursday 15th January at Moniya, Ibadan, with 321 litres of skuchies, and 2.5kg Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, while Rasheed Ajao, 28, was caught same day at Odo-Ona, Ibadan, in possession of 5.4kg Scottish Loud; 1.696kg skunk and 2.5kg Colorado, bringing the total weight to 9.696 kilograms. In another raid at Agbeni area of the state capital, 52,430 pills of tramadol and bromazepam were recovered from the store of Orji Edwin, currently at large, on Saturday, 17th January, ” the statement added.
In Kwara State, he said NDLEA officers on Tuesday, January 13, raided a residence at the Gamo area of Ilorin, where 42 bags of skunk weighing 387.40 kilograms were seized.
In Jigawa State, Babafemi said an ex-convict, Gaddafi Ammani, 26, and his accomplice, Ahmed Sani, 32, were arrested on Saturday, January 17, at Nassarawa GRA, Ringim Local Government Area, with quantities of skunk and exol-5 pills.
He added that Ammani attempted to escape during the operation and injured an officer.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers across Ogun, Lagos, Apapa, Edo, Delta, Oyo, the FCT, Enugu and Kwara states for the arrests and seizures and urged them to sustain ongoing drug control efforts.
He described the arrest of Kanmo-kanmo as a triumph of justice and a testament to the Agency’s long memory, adding that the arrest sends a clear and unambiguous message to all drug barons and fugitives.
“You may run, and you may hide for a season, but the long arm of the law will eventually find you.
“The arrest of Lekan Jimoh is particularly significant because it closes a painful chapter that began on June 15, 2014. For twelve years, this individual lived with the blood of our gallant officers—Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two others—on his hands. He mistakenly thought that time had erased his crimes,” he added.
In a renewed push against narcotics, the NDLEA is intensifying operations to disrupt trafficking networks and apprehend long-term fugitives.
The recent capture of Lekan “Kanmo-Kanmo” Jimoh marks the end of a 12-year manhunt that began in 2014, when Jimoh allegedly orchestrated an attack that killed three NDLEA operatives during a raid in Ogun State.
The agency’s current strategy involves coordinated raids across several states to dismantle the infrastructure of drug cartels.
By targeting both current traffickers and those linked to past violence against officers, the NDLEA aims to send a clear message that there is no safe haven for drug-related criminals.
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