Lagos, Nigeria – In a significant victory for law enforcement, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh, also known as Olowoidiogede or Temo, the 57-year-old head of the Mushin drug cartel.
The arrest occurred after fierce resistance from Jimoh and his gang of hoodlums.
For the past two years, NDLEA has intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira linked to Jimoh. Despite these seizures, he remained elusive, often engaging NDLEA operatives in gunfights during attempted arrests in his Mushin enclave.
Recent significant seizures of Jimoh’s shipments include:
14,524.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a potent strain of cannabis sativa, smuggled into Lagos from Ghana, intercepted in two trucks and a J5 bus at Ojuelegba on January 28, 2024.
Two truckloads of the same substance, weighing 8,852 kilograms, intercepted at Eleko Beach, Lekki on May 4, 2023.
252 kilograms of Loud seized from his Mushin enclave on July 26, 2023.
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Jimoh was notorious for constantly moving to evade arrest. However, the persistence and determination of the NDLEA, bolstered by modern tools and intelligence, paid off on Monday, July 22, 2024. Surveillance teams tracked and apprehended him on Igbarere Street, Mushin.
A reinforcement of about 50 operatives was mobilized when Jimoh attempted to escape in a Mercedes Benz SUV GLE 350. Despite mobilizing hoodlums to engage and distract the operatives, he was overpowered and arrested, with his men surrendering to the NDLEA’s superior firepower.
In reaction to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Lagos State Command, Special Monitoring Task Force, and other formations involved in the operation. He praised their resilience, vigilance, and professionalism.
“I’m particularly delighted because the arrest was eventually affected in his enclave without any casualty despite the attack on our men. This is therefore a clear message to others still involved in this criminal trade of illicit drugs that if they don’t opt out now, we’ll get them because we’re just steps away from their doorsteps and more importantly they can only run, they can’t hide forever,” Marwa stated.