Video: NDLEA ends 12-year manhunt, nabs drug kingpin ‘Kanmo-Kanmo’ after officers’ brutal murder
Abdullateef Fowewe
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have captured notorious drug kingpin Lekan Jimoh, alias “Kanmo-Kanmo,” ending a 12-year pursuit sparked by his role in the savage killing of three NDLEA officers.
Video: NDLEA ends 12-year manhunt nabs drug kingpin ‘Kanmo-Kanmo’ after officers’ brutal murder
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, announced the arrest in a statement on Sunday.
Jimoh was tracked to a hideout in Owode town, Ogun State, on Friday, January 16, 2026, based on solid intelligence.
Tactical teams according to Babafemi confiscated 69 kilograms of “skunk,” a potent cannabis strain, during the raid.
Jimoh’s rap sheet includes drug trafficking, dodging arrests, and unleashing armed thugs on security forces.
On June 15, 2014, he orchestrated a mob attack that murdered three officers, including Rabiu Usman Kazaure, as they tried to apprehend him.
In a prior clash on August 12, 2023, in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, Jimoh escaped, but NDLEA recovered 1,922 kilograms of skunk from 139 sacks at his residence. The property, used as a drug warehouse, was later forfeited to the Federal Government.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised officers from Ogun, Lagos, Apapa, Edo, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Enugu, and Kwara Commands for their efforts.
He hailed the arrest as “a triumph of justice and a testament to the Agency’s long memory,” warning fugitives, “You may run, and you may hide for a season, but the long arm of the law will eventually find you.”
Marwa paid tribute to the fallen officers, stating, “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… This arrest is for the families of those three officers who have waited 12 years for justice.”
Babafemi emphasised the breakthrough underscores NDLEA’s resolve: no fugitive escapes justice forever.
