Wanted drug kingpin arrested 12 years after killing 3 NDLEA officers

​The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have apprehended a wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as Kanmo-Kanmo, ending a 12-year manhunt following his alleged 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, January 16, 2026, tracked to his hideout in Owode town, Ogun State, by tactical teams of the NDLEA following credible intelligence.

The spokesperson for the anti-drug agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the suspect was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

Babafemi stated that the arrest marked 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.

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​He noted: “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 mobilized 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.”

Babafemi disclosed that in another encounter with Jimoh on August 12, 2023, when NDLEA operatives stormed his residence in the Ado-Odo area of Ogun state, he managed to escape while operatives succeeded in recovering 139 sacks of skunk with a total weight of 1,922 kilograms.

“Following assets forfeiture proceedings instituted in court by the Agency, the house in Ado-Odo, which served as a warehouse for his illicit drug trade, has since been finally forfeited to the Federal Government,” the NDLEA spokesman added.

​The Star