By IBIRONKE ARIYO

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully apprehended a long-wanted drug kingpin, ending a 12-year manhunt following his involvement in the brutal killing of three NDLEA officers.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that the suspect was notorious for drug trafficking, evading arrest and mobilising armed thugs against security agents.

He said that the suspect was on Friday, Jan. 16 tracked to his hideout in Owode town, Ogun State by tactical teams of the agency following credible intelligence.

He also said that during the clinical operation, the suspect was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

He added that the arrest marked a significant breakthrough in the agency’s commitment to ensuring that no fugitive, regardless of how long they evaded justice, remained beyond the reach of the law.

“The suspect’s criminal history is marked by extreme violence and lawlessness.

“As a result, he had on June 15, 2014 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,” he said.

In another encounter with the suspect on Aug. 12, 2023, when NDLEA operatives stormed his residence in Ado-Odo town, Ogun state, he managed to escape.

Babafemi however, said that the operatives succeeded in recovering 139 sacks of skunk with a total weight of 1,922 kilograms.

This, he said was following assets 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.

While commending the officers and men of the Ogun command for the arrests and seizures, the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen.-Buba Marwa acknowledged their commitment.

Marwa 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 the wanted drug kingpin as a triumph of justice and a testament to the agency’s long memory.

He added 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.

“The arrest 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 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. (NAN)

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