Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as “Kanmo-kanmo”, after a 12-year manhunt linked to the killing of three agency officers.
Jimoh, 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 NDLEA tactical teams acting on credible intelligence. During the operation, he was found in possession of 69 kilogrammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
The agency said the arrest marked a major breakthrough in its resolve to ensure that fugitives are brought to justice, regardless of how long they evade arrest.
Jimoh’s alleged criminal activities is marked by extreme violence. On June 15, 2014, he allegedly orchestrated a mob attack on NDLEA officers who attempted to arrest him at his enclave. The attack led to the alleged killing of three officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure, by armed thugs mobilised by the suspect. Jimoh escaped at the time.
In another encounter on August 12, 2023, NDLEA operatives stormed his residence in Ado-Odo town, Ogun State, but he again escaped. Officers, however, recovered 139 sacks of skunk weighing 1,922 kilogrammes. Following forfeiture proceedings, the house, which was used as a warehouse for illicit drugs, was eventually forfeited to the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Edo State on Tuesday, January 13, raided Arokpa forest in Uzebba town, Owan West Local Council, arresting another drug suspect, Isihor Edika, 53, and seizing 320kg of skunk and seeds.
In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, operatives on Friday, January 16, arrested a 44-year-old woman, Yinka Agboola, over the alleged online sale of illicit substances. A search of her home in the Kaura district led to the recovery of 2.2kg of skunk and several litres of cannabis oil, which investigators said she produced in her kitchen and advertised online.
Another suspect, Tordue Pius Richard, 30, was arrested on Tuesday, January 13, at his Abacha Estate residence with 148.3 grammes of cocaine and skunk. In Lagos, 118.1kg of skunk was seized from Dauda Kareem and Saheed Obisesan in the Fadeyi area of Mushin on Friday, January 16.
The same day, 116kg of skunk was recovered from a warehouse at the New Market area of Enugu, Enugu State. Two suspects, Zaharadeen Yahaya, 25, and Sanusi Maman, 23, were arrested on Thursday, January 15, along the Onitsha–Asaba expressway in Delta State while conveying 410,800 pills of tramadol, 84.2 litres of codeine syrup, 82,250 tablets of diazepam, 900 tablets of swinol and 65 pills of Molly.
In Oyo State, Adetunji Ahmed Abayomi, 33, was arrested on Thursday, January 15, at Moniya, Ibadan, with 321 litres of skuchies and 2.5kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis. Rasheed Ajao, 28, was arrested the same day at Odo-Ona, Ibadan, with 5.4kg of Scottish Loud, 1.696kg of skunk and 2.5kg of Colorado, bringing the total to 9.696 kilogrammes. In a separate raid at the Agbeni area of Ibadan on Saturday, January 17, officers recovered 52,430 pills of tramadol and bromazepam from a store belonging to Orji Edwin, who is currently at large.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 13, raided a residential building in the Ganmo area of Ilorin, where they seized 42 bags of skunk weighing 387.40kg. At the Apapa port in Lagos, a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies on Friday, January 16, led to the discovery of 157,519 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in a container.
In Jigawa State, an ex-convict, Gaddafi Ammani, 26, was arrested on Saturday, January 17, at Nassarawa GRA, Ringim Local Council, alongside his accomplice, Ahmed Sani, 32, with various quantities of skunk and exol-5 pills. NDLEA said Ammani attempted to escape by climbing rooftops, threatened officers with a machete and injured one operative before he was subdued.
