In a major breakthrough in the war against drugs, the overall head of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh alias Olowoidiogede, popularly known as Temo, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Spokesman for the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi in a statement says, the 57-year-old drug kingpin was arrested at his enclave in Mushin, Lagos, after a prolonged resistance from him and his gang of hoodlums.
The drug Baron, Temo, who had been evading arrest for years, Mr. Babafemi announced was finally apprehended at 10am on Monday, July 22, 2024, after NDLEA surveillance teams tracked him down at Igbarere street, Mushin.
Explaining further, he said, he was attempting to escape in a Mercedes Benz SUV GLE 350 marked 01G-300G when he was overpowered by a reinforcement of about 50 operatives.
Giving a breakdown of his involvement in the illicit business, the agency says, they had intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira owned by Temo in the last two years, including 14,524.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis sativa, smuggled into Lagos from Ghana, and 8,852kg of the same substance intercepted at Eleko beach, Lekki Lagos.
According to the statement, the drug kingpin was 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.
Reacting to the arrest, Chairman NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Lagos State Command, Special Monitoring Task Force and other formations tasked with the assignment of getting Temo arrested for their resilience, vigilance, and professionalism.
He urged them 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 and more importantly they can only run, they can’t hide forever,” Marwa stated.
The arrest of Temo is a significant blow to the drug cartel and a major victory for the NDLEA in its fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria.
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