Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Lekan Jimoh, a notorious drug kingpin popularly known as Kanmo-Kanmo, more than a decade after he allegedly masterminded the killing of three NDLEA officers.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that Jimoh was apprehended on Friday after operatives tracked him to a hideout in Owode, Ogun State, following credible intelligence.
According to the NDLEA, about 69 kilogrammes of skunk and another strain of cannabis were recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.
Jimoh had been on the agency’s wanted list since June 15, 2014, when he allegedly mobilised armed thugs to attack NDLEA officers who were attempting to arrest him. The attack reportedly led to the death of Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two other officers. Jimoh escaped during the incident and had remained at large despite years of manhunt.
The agency recalled that operatives raided Jimoh’s residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, on August 12, 2023, but he again evaded arrest. During that operation, 139 sacks of skunk weighing about 1,922 kilogrammes were seized. The property, said to have served as a drug warehouse, was later forfeited to the federal government after court proceedings.
“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,” the NDLEA said.
In other operations across the country, the agency said its operatives arrested Isihor Edika, 53, in Edo State during a raid on Arokpa forest in Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area, where 320 kilogrammes of skunk and cannabis seeds were seized.
In Abuja, Yinka Agboola, 44, was arrested in the Kaura district for allegedly selling illicit drugs online. The NDLEA said 2.2 kilogrammes of skunk and cannabis oil were recovered from her residence. Another suspect, Tordue Pius Richard, 30, was also arrested in the Federal Capital Territory with cocaine and skunk at his Abacha Estate home.
The agency said operatives in Mushin, Lagos, seized 118.1 kilogrammes of skunk from Dauda Kareem and Saheed Obisesan, while 116 kilogrammes of the substance were recovered from a warehouse at the New Market area of Enugu State.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives arrested Zaharadeen Yahaya, 25, and Sanusi Maman, 23, along the Onitsha–Asaba expressway with large quantities of tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam, swinol and Molly.
In Oyo State, Adetunji Ahmed Abayomi, 33, and Rasheed Ajao, 28, were arrested in Ibadan with skuchies, Colorado, Scottish Loud and skunk. The agency also recovered 52,430 pills of tramadol and bromazepam from a store in the Agbeni area of the city, although the suspect, Orji Edwin, remains at large.
The NDLEA said 42 bags of skunk weighing 387.4 kilogrammes were seized from a residential building in Ilorin, Kwara State. At Apapa Port in Lagos, a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies uncovered 157,519 bottles of codeine syrup hidden inside a container.
In Jigawa State, the agency arrested ex-convict Gaddafi Ammani, 26, and Ahmed Sani, 32, after they allegedly attempted to evade arrest. Skunk and exol-5 pills were recovered from them.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA said it also carried out War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres and communities nationwide over the past week.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Buba Marwa, described Jimoh’s arrest as “a triumph of justice and a testament to the agency’s long memory.”
“You may run, and you may hide for a season, but the long arm of the law will eventually find you,” Marwa said.
He added, “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.
“This arrest is for the families of those three officers who have waited 12 years for justice.”
Read more news on www.newdailyprime.news
