The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has arrested, Sulaiman Jimoh populaly know as Temo, 57-year-old old alleged leader of a drug cartel in Lagos.
Mr Femi Babafemi, NDLEA, Director of Media and Advocacy, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the arrest was done after many years of aversion and much resistance from the drug dealer and his gang of hoodlums.
“After many years of wearing the toga of invincibility, the overall head of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, popularly known as Temo), has been arrested by operatives of the NDLEA.
“In the past two years, the NDLEA had intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira owned by Temo.
“He has remained largely evasive while a few encounters with him and his armed gangs in his Mushin enclave had resulted in gunfight,” he said.
Babafemi said that some of the recent seizures of the drug barons shipments included a 14, 524.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis sativa, smuggled into Lagos from Ghana in two trucks and a J5 bus.
According to him, the drugs were intercepted at Ojuelegba area of Lagos in the early hours of Jan., 28.
He added that two truck-loads of the same substance weighing 8,852kg were also intercepted at Eleko beach, Lekki Lagos on May 4, 2023 and 252kg of Loud seized from his enclave in Mushin on July 26, 2023.
Babafemi said that in the last two encounters, men of the NDLEA operatives were engaged in a gunfight.
“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 at 10am on Monday, July 22 when NDLEA’s surveillance teams on his trail tracked and pinned him down at Igbarere street, Mushin.
“A reinforcement of about 50 operatives was immediately mobilised to the area while he was attempting to escape in a Mercedes Benz SUV GLE 350 marked 01G-300G.
“His attempt to escape by mobilising hoodlums to engage and distract the operatives however failed after which he was overpowered and whisked away from the chaotic scene while his men surrendered,” he said.
In his reaction to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of the Lagos State Command Special Monitoring Task Force and other formations for professionalism.
Marwa urged the officers not to relent but to intensify efforts on arresting drug cartels nationwide and curbing the use of illicit drugs in the country.
“I urge officers to intensify the heat on all drug cartels wherever they are located.
“I’m particularly delighted because the arrest was eventually effected 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,” he said.