Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as “Kanmo-Kanmo,” bringing to an end a 12-year manhunt following his involvement in the gruesome murder of three NDLEA officers in 2014.
Jimoh was apprehended on Friday, January 16, 2026, at his hideout in Owode, Ogun State, after weeks of intelligence-led surveillance by tactical teams of the agency. He was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.
Announcing the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday, January 18, 2026, Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, described the operation as a major breakthrough in the agency’s resolve to ensure fugitives face justice, no matter how long it takes.
According to the NDLEA, Jimoh orchestrated a violent mob attack on June 15, 2014, when officers attempted to arrest him at his enclave. The attack led to the cold-blooded murder of three NDLEA officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure, while Jimoh escaped.
“Despite evading arrest for over a decade and repeatedly mobilising armed thugs against law enforcement officers, the suspect has finally been brought to justice,” Babafemi said.
The agency recalled that during another raid on August 12, 2023, at Jimoh’s residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, he again escaped arrest, though operatives recovered 139 sacks of skunk weighing 1,922 kilograms. The property, which served as a warehouse for his drug trade, was later forfeited to the Federal Government following court proceedings.
Babafemi noted that NDLEA officers also intensified War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns nationwide, reaching schools, worship centres and communities in Kano, Lagos, Benue, Katsina and Niger States, among others.
Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described Jimoh’s arrest as “a triumph of justice.”
“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 that the arrest closes a painful chapter for the families of the slain officers, stressing that the agency “does not forget its own and does not forget the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives in service to the nation.”
