Twelve years after allegedly masterminding the brutal killing of three operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), one of Nigeria’s most wanted drug kingpins, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as Kanmo-Kanmo, has finally been arrested.
Jimoh was apprehended on Friday, January 16, 2026, in Owode, Ogun State, following a painstaking, intelligence-driven operation by NDLEA tactical teams. A search of his hideout led to the recovery of 69 kilogrammes of skunk, a highly potent strain of cannabis, bringing to an end more than a decade of manhunt.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, said Jimoh had remained on the agency’s wanted list since June 15, 2014, when he allegedly mobilised armed thugs to violently resist arrest. The attack resulted in the killing of three NDLEA officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure, in what the agency described as one of its darkest days.
Babafemi said the suspect fled the scene and disappeared into the criminal underworld, evading capture for over 12 years.
“Kanmo-Kanmo, notorious for drug trafficking and for unleashing armed violence against law enforcement, was eventually tracked to his Owode hideout after credible intelligence. The arrest sends a clear message that no fugitive is beyond the reach of justice,” he said.
The NDLEA spokesman recalled that Jimoh’s vast drug network was earlier exposed in August 2023, when operatives raided his Ado-Odo residence and recovered 139 sacks of skunk weighing 1,922kg. Although he escaped at the time, the property, used as a drug warehouse, was later forfeited to the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, the agency recorded a string of major breakthroughs nationwide. In Edo State, operatives stormed the Arokpa forest in Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area, arresting 53-year-old Isihor Edika and seizing 320kg of skunk alongside cannabis seeds.
In the Federal Capital Territory, a 44-year-old woman, Yinka Agboola, was arrested in Kaura District over alleged online drug sales, with 2.2kg of skunk and cannabis oil recovered from her residence. Another suspect, Tordue Pius Richard, 30, was also arrested with cocaine and skunk.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers seized 118.1kg of skunk from Dauda Kareem and Saheed Obisesan in Fadeyi, Mushin, while an additional 116kg was recovered from a warehouse at New Market in Enugu State.
The agency described the arrests and seizures as part of its sustained offensive against drug trafficking networks across the country.
