Wanted drug kingpin ‘Kanmo-Kanmo’ arrested 12 years after murder of three NDLEA officers
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have arrested a long-wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as “Kanmo-kanmo”, ending a 12-year manhunt following his involvement in the killing of three of the agency’s officers.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday that Kanmo-Kanmo, who is allegedly notorious for drug trafficking, evading arrest and mobilising armed thugs against security agents, was apprehended on Friday, January 16, after he was tracked to his hideout in Owode town, Ogun State.
Babafemi said the suspect was picked up by tactical teams of the agency following credible intelligence.
“During the clinical operation, the suspect was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis,” the statement reads.
The arrest marks 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.
“Lekan Jimoh’s criminal history is marked by extreme violence and lawlessness. As a result, on 15th June 2014, he had 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 mobilised 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.”
The NDLEA spokesperson added that in another encounter with Jimoh on August 12, 2023, when operatives stormed his residence in Ado-Odo town, Ogun state, he managed to escape while 139 sacks of skunk with a total weight of 1,922 kilograms were recovered.
“Following asset 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,” Babafemi said.
Babafemi said Buba Marwa, chairman of the NDLEA, commended the officers and men of the Ogun, Lagos, Apapa, Edo, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Enugu, and Kwara commands for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa also acknowledged their commitment and enjoined them as well as their colleagues nationwide to maintain the current tempo of their balanced approach to the Agency’s drug control efforts.
He described the arrest of Kanmo-kanmo as a triumph of justice and a testament to the agency’s long memory, adding that the arrest sends a clear and unambiguous message to all drug barons and fugitives.
“You may run, and you may hide for a season, but the long arm of the law will eventually find you,” Marwa was quoted as saying.
“The arrest of Lekan Jimoh is particularly significant because it closes a painful chapter that began on June 15, 2014. For twelve years, this individual lived with the blood of our gallant officers—Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two others—on his hands.
“He mistakenly thought that time had erased his crimes. Today, we have proven that the NDLEA does not forget its own.
“We do not forget the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives in the service of our fatherland. This arrest is for the families of those three officers who have waited 12 years for justice,” Marwa said in a tribute to the officers lost over a decade ago.
