Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a long-wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as “Kanmo-kanmo,” ending a 12-year manhunt linked to the brutal killing of three agency officers.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said Jimoh was tracked to his hideout in Owode, Ogun State, on Friday following credible intelligence. The operation was executed by tactical teams of the agency.
During the arrest, the suspect was found in possession of 69 kilograms of cannabis skunk.
Babafemi described the arrest as a significant breakthrough, stating, “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.”
Jimoh’s criminal record is characterized by extreme violence. According to the NDLEA, on June 15, 2014, he orchestrated a barbaric mob action against a team of officers attempting to arrest him at his enclave. “The attack, the Agency said, resulted in the cold-blooded murder of three of its officers, including one Rabiu Usman Kazaure.”
The statement explained that while the suspect managed to escape that day, the Agency remained resolute in its pursuit of justice for the fallen heroes.
In a prior encounter on August 12, 2023, operatives raided Jimoh’s residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, but he evaded capture again. However, they recovered 139 sacks of skunk weighing a total of 1,922 kilograms.
Babafemi added that following asset forfeiture proceedings instituted in court by the Agency, the house in Ado-Odo, which served as a warehouse for his illicit trade, has since been permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
