The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a notorious drug trafficker, Lekan Jimoh, widely known as “Kanmo-Kanmo,” twelve years after he allegedly orchestrated the killing of three NDLEA officers.
Jimoh was apprehended on Friday, January 16, 2026, in Owode, Ogun State, following intelligence-led operations carried out by tactical teams of the agency. During a search of his hideout, officers recovered 69 kilograms of skunk, a type of cannabis.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the suspect had been on the agency’s wanted list since June 15, 2014. He was accused of leading armed thugs in an attack on NDLEA officers who attempted to arrest him at his base, an incident that resulted in the death of three officers.
Babafemi noted that Jimoh had a long history of violent resistance against law enforcement and had repeatedly evaded arrest over the years. He described the arrest as a major breakthrough, stressing that no fugitive remains beyond the reach of the law, regardless of how long they escape justice.
The agency recalled that after the 2014 attack, which claimed the lives of Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two other officers, Jimoh fled the scene. Despite his escape, NDLEA maintained continuous intelligence surveillance that eventually led to his capture.
In a related operation conducted on August 12, 2023, NDLEA operatives raided Jimoh’s residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, where 139 sacks of skunk weighing about 1,922 kilograms were recovered. Although he escaped arrest at the time, the property was later confiscated by the Federal Government after a court ruling, as it was used as a drug warehouse.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recorded several arrests and seizures across different states as part of ongoing nationwide operations. In Edo State, a raid on Arokpa Forest in Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area, led to the arrest of a 53-year-old suspect and the seizure of 320 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds.
In Abuja, a 44-year-old woman was arrested in the Kaura District over the alleged online sale of illicit drugs. Recovered items included 2.2 kilograms of skunk and quantities of cannabis oil. Another suspect was also arrested in the Federal Capital Territory with cocaine and cannabis.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers seized more than 118 kilograms of skunk from two suspects in Mushin, while another 116 kilograms was recovered from a warehouse in Enugu State.
Along the Onitsha–Asaba Expressway in Delta State, two suspects were intercepted while transporting large quantities of tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam, swinol, and Molly.
Further arrests were made in Oyo State, where suspects were caught with cannabis derivatives and synthetic drugs in Ibadan. In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives seized 42 bags of skunk weighing over 387 kilograms during a raid in Ilorin. In Jigawa State, two suspects, including an ex-convict, were arrested with illicit drugs, with one sustaining injuries while attempting to flee.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations across the country. He described Jimoh’s arrest as a significant step toward justice and a clear warning to drug traffickers.
Marwa said the arrest closed a painful chapter that began with the killing of NDLEA officers in 2014, adding that time does not erase responsibility for violent crimes.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks nationwide and bringing long-wanted suspects to justice.
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