By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested long-fugitive drug baron Lekan Jimoh, alias “Kanmo-Kanmo,” ending a 12-year pursuit linked to the brutal 2014 killing of three agency officers.
Jimoh was apprehended on Friday, January 16, 2026, at his hideout in Owode town, Ogun State, following intelligence-led tracking by NDLEA tactical teams. During the operation, operatives recovered 69 kilograms of skunk (a potent cannabis strain) from his possession.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Director of Media & Advocacy Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA described the arrest as a “significant breakthrough” and a “triumph of justice,” underscoring the agency’s resolve that no fugitive remains beyond reach, no matter how long they evade capture.
He recalled that Jimoh’s criminal record is marked by extreme violence, noting that on June 15, 2014, he allegedly orchestrated a mob attack on NDLEA officers attempting to arrest him in his enclave, mobilising armed thugs who killed three officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two others, in a cold-blooded assault. The statement reported that he escaped the scene at the time.
According to the Agency, the suspect remained elusive for years. In a separate raid on August 12, 2023, at his residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, he again fled while operatives seized 139 sacks of skunk weighing 1,922 kilograms. That property, used as a drug warehouse, has since been forfeited to the Federal Government following court proceedings.
Reacting the to arrest, the statement reported that the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) hailed the arrest as closing a painful chapter. “For twelve years, this individual lived with the blood of our gallant officers on his hands… Today, we have proven that the NDLEA does not forget its own,” he said, adding that it sends a clear message to drug barons and fugitives.
The agency also reported a series of concurrent nationwide operations including in Edo State (January 13), the arrest of drug lord Isihor Edika, 53, in Arokpa forest, Uzebba, with 320kg skunk and seeds.
In Abuja (January 16): Arrest of 44-year-old Yinka Agboola, who sold 2.2kg skunk and homemade cannabis oil online from her Kaura district home.
In Abuja (January 13): Seizure of 148.3g cocaine and skunk from Tordue Pius Richard, 30, at his Abacha Estate residence.
In Lagos (January 16): 118.1kg skunk recovered from Dauda Kareem and Saheed Obisesan in Fadeyi, Mushin.
In Enugu (January 16): 116kg skunk seized from a warehouse in New Market area.
In Delta State (January 15): Arrest of Zaharadeen Yahaya, 25, and Sanusi Maman, 23, on Onitsha-Asaba expressway with 410,800 tramadol pills, 84.2 litres codeine syrup, 82,250 diazepam tablets, 900 swinol tabs, and 65 molly pills.
In Oyo State (January 15): Arrests of Adetunji Ahmed Abayomi, 33, with 321 litres skuchies and 2.5kg Colorado at Moniya, Ibadan; and Rasheed Ajao, 28, with 9.696kg assorted cannabis strains at Odo-Ona.
In Oyo (January 17): 52,430 tramadol and bromazepam pills recovered from Orji Edwin’s store in Agbeni (suspect at large).
In Kwara (January 13): 387.40kg skunk (42 bags) seized from a residential building in Gamo, Ilorin.
In Lagos (January 16): 157,519 bottles codeine syrup intercepted in a container at Apapa Port during joint examination.
In Jigawa (January 17): Arrest of ex-convict Gaddafi Ammani, 26, and accomplice Ahmed Sani, 32, with skunk and exol-5 pills at Nassarawa GRA, Ringim; Gaddafi attempted rooftop escape and injured an officer with a machete.
Marwa commended officers across Ogun, Lagos, Apapa, Edo, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Enugu, Kwara, and Jigawa commands for their efforts and urged sustained momentum in the agency’s balanced drug control strategy.
The arrest of Kanmo-Kanmo is expected to lead to further charges, including murder and drug trafficking, as the NDLEA intensifies its crackdown on violent narcotics networks.
