In a major victory for law enforcement, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Sulaiman Jimoh, the notorious leader of the Mushin drug cartel in Lagos.
Jimoh, also known as “Temo”, had long evaded capture, but was finally nabbed in a well-coordinated operation on July 22nd, 2024.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Temo had been on the agency’s wanted list for years, having built a reputation for being “invincible.” However, the NDLEA’s persistence and deployment of modern surveillance tools eventually paid off, allowing them to track down the elusive kingpin at his hideout on Igbarere Street in the Mushin area of Lagos.
Temo’s arrest comes just weeks after another high-profile drug baron, Joachin Mbonu, was caught in Imo State after fleeing from South Africa. The NDLEA has been relentless in its efforts to dismantle major drug trafficking networks across the country.
“The drug kingpin was very notorious for always being on the move to evade arrest, but with persistence and determination of the Agency aided by modern tools and intelligence, the concerted effort to get him paid off,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA’s Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), commended the officers and men involved in the operation, urging them to maintain the momentum in targeting all drug cartels.
Over the past two years, the NDLEA has seized billions of naira worth of illicit drugs linked to Temo’s cartel, including large consignments of “Ghana Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, intercepted in Lagos. The agency has also engaged in several gun battles with Temo’s armed henchmen in the past.
The arrest of this major drug kingpin is a significant victory in the ongoing war against narcotics in Nigeria, and a clear signal that the NDLEA will spare no effort in dismantling criminal drug networks across the country.
