Wanted drug kingpin arrested 12 years after killing three officers of drug law enforcement agency

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a long-wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly called “Kanmo-Kanmo”, 12 years after his alleged involvement in the killing of three officers of the agency.

Penpushing reports that the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi in a statement said the suspect was arrested on Friday, January 16, 2026, in Owode town, Ogun State, following intelligence-led operations by tactical teams of the agency.

The statement added that a search of his hideout led to the recovery of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, recalling that the suspect has been on the wanted list since June 15, 2014, when he allegedly mobilised armed thugs to attack officers of the agency who attempted to arrest him at his enclave.

“Following his involvement in the brutal killing of three NDLEA officers, Kanmo-Kanmo, who is notorious for drug trafficking, evading arrest and mobilising armed thugs against security agents, was on Friday, 16th January 2026 tracked to his hideout in Owode town, Ogun State by tactical teams of the agency following credible intelligence’, Babafemi said.

‘During the clinical operation, the suspect was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis. 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 statement added.

“​Lekan Jimoh’s criminal history is marked by extreme violence and lawlessness. As a result, he had on 15th June 2014 orchestrated a barbaric mob action against a team of NDLEA officers who had attempted to arrest him at his enclave’.

‘The attack resulted in the cold-blooded murder of three NDLEA officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two others, who were killed by armed thugs mobilised by Jimoh. While the suspect managed to escape the scene that day, the agency remained resolute in its pursuit of justice for the fallen heroes.”

Penpushing further reports that Babafemi in the statement stated that in a related operation on August 12, 2023, the operatives raided Jimoh’s residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, where 139 sacks of skunk weighing 1,922 kilograms were recovered.

The statement recalled that the suspect again evaded arrest at the time, adding that the property, which was used as a drug warehouse, was later forfeited to the Nigerian Government following court proceedings.

Penpushing also reports that the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brigadier GeneralBuba Marwa (retd.), commended officers across Ogun, Lagos, Apapa, Edo, Delta, Oyo, Enugu and Kwara states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the arrests and seizures and urged them to sustain ongoing drug control efforts.

The agency boss described the arrest of Kanmo-kanmo as a triumph of justice and a testament to the agency’s long memory, adding that the arrest sends a clear and unambiguous message to all drug barons and fugitives.

“You may run, and you may hide for a season, but the long arm of the law will eventually find you. 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. He mistakenly thought that time had erased his crimes’, he added.

‘The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has continued to intensify nationwide operations against drug trafficking networks, with a focus on apprehending long-wanted suspects and disrupting supply chains’.

‘Lekan Jimoh, also known as “Kanmo-Kanmo,” had been on the agency’s wanted list since 2014 following the killing of three NDLEA officers during an attempted arrest in Ogun State’, the statement added.

Penpushing reports that arrest of Kanmo-Kanmo comes amid a series of coordinated raids across several states, reflecting the agency’s renewed push to tackle illicit drug production, distribution and trafficking, and to bring fugitives linked to past attacks on law enforcement to justice.

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