NDLEA Captures Fugitive Drug Lord Who Evaded Justice for Over a Decade After killing Officers

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has apprehended Lekan Jimoh, known as Kanmo-Kanmo, more than twelve years after he allegedly orchestrated an attack that claimed the lives of three agency personnel during a failed arrest attempt.

Intelligence-driven operations by NDLEA tactical units led to Jimoh’s capture on Friday, January 16, 2026, in Owode, Ogun State. Officers conducting a search of his location discovered 69 kilogrammes of skunk, a high-potency cannabis variety.

Agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi explained in a Sunday statement that Jimoh had been a fugitive since June 15, 2014, when he reportedly organized armed attackers to assault officers who had come to arrest him. The violent confrontation resulted in the deaths of three NDLEA personnel, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure, before Jimoh fled and remained hidden for more than ten years.

“This arrest represents a significant achievement in our commitment to ensuring that fugitives cannot permanently evade accountability, regardless of how long they remain at large,” Babafemi stated. He described how the suspect, infamous for drug trafficking and mobilizing armed groups against law enforcement, was located and detained at his Owode hideout following credible intelligence.

Investigators had previously exposed Jimoh’s criminal operations in August 2023 during a raid on his Ado-Odo residence in Ogun State, which yielded 139 sacks of skunk totaling 1,922kg. Although the suspect escaped that operation, authorities later secured the forfeiture of the property, which had served as a drug storage facility.

The agency also announced substantial seizures across multiple states. In Edo State, a raid on Arokpa forest in Uzebba resulted in the arrest of 53-year-old Isihor Edika and the confiscation of 320kg of skunk and cannabis seeds.

Federal Capital Territory operations led to the detention of Yinka Agboola, 44, in Kaura District for allegedly selling illicit substances online. Authorities recovered 2.2kg of skunk and cannabis oil from her residence. Another FCT suspect, 30-year-old Tordue Pius Richard, was detained with cocaine and skunk.

Lagos operations saw officers seize 118.1kg of skunk from Dauda Kareem and Saheed Obisesan in Fadeyi, Mushin, while an additional 116kg was recovered from a warehouse in Enugu’s New Market area.

At a checkpoint along the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway in Delta State, operatives intercepted Zaharadeen Yahaya, 25, and Sanusi Maman, 23, transporting 410,800 tramadol pills, 84.2 litres of codeine syrup, 82,250 diazepam tablets, and other restricted pharmaceuticals.

Oyo State operations resulted in the arrests of Adetunji Ahmed Abayomi, 33, and Rasheed Ajao, 28, in Ibadan with substantial quantities of synthetic cannabis products. A subsequent raid in Agbeni uncovered over 52,000 tramadol and bromazepam pills.

In Kwara State, officers confiscated 42 bags of skunk weighing 387.4kg from a residence in Ilorin’s Gamo area.

Jigawa State operations led to the detention of previously convicted offender Gaddafi Ammani, 26, and his associate Ahmed Sani, 32, at Nassarawa GRA, Ringim, with skunk and exol-5 pills. According to Babafemi, Ammani attempted to flee during the operation and injured an officer in the process.