Murder of 3 officers: NDLEA nabs drug lord after 12-year manhunt

By Kingsley Omonobi

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as Kanmo-kanmo, 12 years after he allegedly masterminded the killing of three NDLEA officers.

The agency said Jimoh was tracked to his hideout in Owode, Ogun State, on Friday, January 16, 2026, following credible intelligence.

He was arrested during a sting operation and found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis. NDLEA disclosed that Jimoh had, on June 15, 2014, mobilised armed thugs to attack NDLEA officers who attempted to arrest him, leading to the murder of three officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure. Although he escaped at the time, the agency maintained a sustained manhunt.

In another raid on his residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, in August 2023, operatives recovered 1,922 kilograms of skunk.

The house, which served as a drug warehouse, has since been forfeited to the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recorded multiple arrests and seizures across nine states. In Edo State, a drug lord, Isihor Edika, 53, was arrested in Arokpa forest, Uzebba, with 320kg of skunk.

In Abuja, a 44-year-old woman, Yinka Agboola, was arrested for selling illicit drugs online, with 2.2kg of skunk and cannabis oil recovered from her home. Another suspect, Tordue Pius Richard, was also arrested with cocaine and skunk.

In Lagos, 118.1kg of skunk was seized in Mushin, while 116kg was recovered from a warehouse in Enugu. In Delta State, two suspects were arrested with large quantities of tramadol, codeine syrup and other controlled drugs. NDLEA also made significant seizures in Oyo, Kwara and Jigawa states, including tramadol, cannabis and codeine syrup.

At Apapa Port, Lagos, 157,519 bottles of codeine syrup were intercepted during a joint examination.
by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies.

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