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. .as Agency recovers illicit drugs from his hideout, nabs ex-convict, female online vendor, others in Jigawa, Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Enugu, Kwara raids

​Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have successfully apprehended a long-wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as “Kanmo-kanmo”, ending a 12-year manhunt following his involvement in the brutal killing of three NDLEA officers.

​Kanmo-Kanmo, who is notorious for drug trafficking, evading arrest and mobilizing armed thugs against security agents was on Friday 16th January 2026 tracked to his hideout in Owode town, Ogun State by tactical teams of the Agency following credible intelligence. During the clinical operation, the suspect was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis. The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the Agency’s commitment to ensuring that no fugitive, regardless of how long they evade justice, remains beyond the reach of the law.

​Lekan Jimoh’s criminal history is marked by extreme violence and lawlessness. As a result, he had on 15th June 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 mobilized 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.
​In another encounter with Jimoh on 12th August 2023, when NDLEA operatives stormed his residence in Ado-Odo town, Ogun state, he managed to escape while operatives succeeded in recovering 139 sacks of skunk with a total weight of 1,922 kilograms. 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.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Edo state on Tuesday 13th January raided the Arokpa forest, Uzebba town, Owan West LGA, leading to the arrest of another drug lord, Isihor Edika, 53, and seizure of 320kg skunk and seeds. In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, operatives on Friday 16th January tracked and arrested a 44-year-old lady Yinka Agboola following intelligence on her online sale of illicit substances. At the time of her arrest, 2.2kg skunk and litres of cannabis oil which she produces in her kitchen and sells through online advertisement were recovered from her home at the Kaura district, Abuja.

Another suspect, Tordue Pius Richard, 30, was on Tuesday 13th January arrested with 148.3 grams of cocaine and skunk at his 12 Biskira street, Abacha Estate, Abuja home.

While 118.1kg skunk was seized from the duo of Dauda Kareem and Saheed Obisesan at Fadeyi area of Mushin Lagos on Friday 16th January, not less than 116kg of same substance was recovered from a warehouse at new market area of Enugu, Enugu state same day.

Two suspects: Zaharadeen Yahaya, 25, and Sanusi Maman, 23, were on Thursday 15th January arrested by NDLEA operatives along Onitsha -Asaba expressway, Delta state, while conveying 410,800 pills of tramadol; 84.2 litres of codeine syrup; 82,250 tablets of diazepam; 900 tabs of swinol and 65 pills of Molly.

In Oyo state, Adetunji Ahmed Abayomi, 33, was nabbed on Thursday 15th January at Moniya, Ibadan, with 321 litres of skuchies, and 2.5kg Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, while Rasheed Ajao, 28, was caught same day at Odo-Ona, Ibadan, in possession of 5.4kg Scottish Loud; 1.696kg skunk and 2.5kg Colorado, bringing the total weight to 9.696 kilograms. In another raid at Agbeni area of the state capital, 52,430 pills of tramadol and bromazepam were recovered from the store of Orji Edwin, currently at large, on Saturday 17th January.

In Kwara state, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 13th January raided a residential building at Gamo area of Ilorin where they seized 42 bags of skunk that weighed 387.40kg, while a total of 157,519 bottles of codeine syrup were discovered in a container at the Apapa port in Lagos during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies on Friday 16th January.
An ex-convict, Gaddafi Ammani, 26, was arrested with various quantities of skunk and exol-5 pills along his accomplice ⁠Ahmed Sani, 32, at Nassarawa GRA, Ringim LGA Jigawa state on Saturday 17th January. Before Gaddafi’s arrest, he attempted to escape by
climbing the roofs of many houses in his bid to escape. He was armed with a machete which he used to threaten NDLEA operatives and even inflicted injury on one of the officers.

Across all Commands and formations of the Agency nationwide, NDLEA officers continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Umar Bin Khathab Islamiyyah School, Kurna, Kano; Tumbey College, Kajola Maya, Ikorodu, Lagos; Anglican Secondary School, Makurdi, Benue; members of Katsina emirate, Katsina; and residents of Maitumbi community, Minna, Niger state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of the Ogun, Lagos, Apapa, Edo, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Enugu, and Kwara Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) acknowledged their commitment and 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 Kanmo-kanmo as a triumph of justice and a testament to the Agency’s long memory, adding 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 of Lekan Jimoh 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—Rabiu Usman Kazaure and two others—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.

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Nine state governments have domesticated the new tax laws aimed at ending the era of multiple taxation and uncoordinated levies.

They are Bayelsa, Anambra, Ekiti, Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kwara and Zamfara.

The remaining 27 are likely to follow suit soon.

Sources said the domestication of the new tax laws by the state governments will complement the efforts of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee and the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) in creating a more efficient revenue system for the country.

The committee had developed a model Tax Harmonisation Law for adoption by states and local governments to address the challenges posed by uncoordinated collections, including those by non-state actors.

Chairman of the Presidential Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, said it was imperative for the states to enact their own tax harmonisation law to address multiple taxations at state and local government levels.

The Joint Revenue Board described the steps taken by the nine states as a key component of reforms designed to eliminate illegal tax collection and provide a clearer fiscal environment for businesses and citizens alike.

Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo signed the state’s domesticated tax bills into law on January 1.

They are the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (Establishment) Law, 2025 and Kogi State Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Law, 2025.

According to him, the move is expected to boost the state’s revenue, enhance transparency and promote economic growth.

He said the laws exempt low-income earners – individuals earning below N800,000 annually – from tax payment and will also encourage increased investment, simplify tax processes and reduce compliance costs to attract businesses.

Other benefits are “technology-driven efficiency: Digitalised tax administration will reduce human interference and promote accountability.”

“The New Tax Laws aim to support structural reset, drive harmonisation and protect dignity rather than raise tax obligations,” Governor Ododo explained.

The Bayelsa State Joint Revenue Board said on its X handle that the domestication of the tax laws represents “a significant milestone in the modernisation of revenue administration in the state”.

It said the landmark law, which is the first to be signed by a state in the South-South Geopolitical Zone, has the objectives of eliminating multiple taxation by streamlining the pre-existing collectibles of nearly sixty to just nine collectible heads.

It said the law also outlaws roadblocks for the collection of taxes, levies and charges, de-emphasises cash collection and utilises technology to ensure transparency in tax administration, while plugging revenue leakages.

The harmonised framework is also expected to improve taxpayer compliance, boost investor confidence, and support the state’s economic development.

Read Also: Students rally support for Tax Laws, shelve protest plan

It acknowledged the collaborative efforts of the state government, the legislature, and the state Internal Revenue Service in driving the reform forward, which aligns with the national tax reform initiative of the Tinubu administration, underscoring the state’s commitment to transparency and good governance.

Chairman of the Anambra Internally Generated Revenue Services (AIRS), Dr Greg Ezeilo, told The Nation that the domestication of the tax laws in the state has ended the era of paying cash into government treasury.

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On the new tax laws
Ezeilo said the AIRS under his leadership will be intentional, firm and transparent in its enforcement approach, emphasising that there will be “no mercy for tax evaders” in the state.

Ezeilo also said the agency would, in the coming weeks, organise town hall meetings to deepen engagement with tax stakeholders across the state.

The Executive Chairman of the Delta State Internal Revenue Service (DSIRS), Mr. Solomon Igharakpata, said the state government was in the process of domesticating the new tax laws.

According to Igharakpata, the new tax legislation will be transmitted to the State House of Assembly before the end of this month.

“We are already in the process. I am confident that before the end of this month, it will reach the House of Assembly,” he declared.

The other states are working on passing and gazetting their own versions of the law. Officials believe this momentum signals a shift toward a more transparent and investor-friendly framework across Nigeria.

At a recent tax reform summit held in Lagos, Mr. Oyedele said sub-national tax transformation is central to Nigeria’s economic survival.

He said the goal of the new tax law was not to introduce new or higher tax rates but to focus on “harmonisation, efficiency and taxpayer value leveraging data and collaborating within the state and nationally.”

He said harmonisation does not mean centralisation.

“It means clarity and efficiency. The people pay less and the government collects more,” he said.

Tax committee, Ombud to protect taxpayers’ rights

The PFPTRC and the Office of the Tax Ombud have resolved to work together to enhance taxpayers’ trust and compliance through transparent mediation and accountability, following a meeting in Abuja between the Tax Ombud/CEO, Dr. John Nwabueze, and PFPTRC chairman Taiwo Oyedele.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Tax Ombud/CEO, Chukwudi Achife, said in a statement that the Office of the Tax Ombud will serve as a mediation safety net for small and medium enterprises as well as multinational companies to resolve issues related to taxes, levies, charges, customs duties and allied matters.

Achife quoted Dr. Nwabueze as saying “Nigerian taxpayers can now save the cost of arbitration while still obtaining justice by resolving their tax complaints through the office.”

Oyedele said of the meeting that it was part of ongoing efforts to support the effective implementation of tax reforms.

“The Office of the Tax Ombud is an independent and impartial body established under the new tax laws to protect taxpayer rights, resolve complaints quickly and fairly, and build trust in the tax system through mediation and advocacy,” he said.

He added: “Our engagement focused on collaboration with the Tax Ombud, given his critical role in ensuring that the reforms deliver not just better tax systems but a fairer and more responsive tax administration for taxpayers.”

Dr. Nwabueze was appointed last year under the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act 2025 to provide a fair, independent channel for taxpayers to resolve disputes with revenue authorities, offering mediation for issues like unfair treatment, delays and abuse, aiming to boost transparency and trust in Nigeria’s tax system.

The four (4) Tax Reform laws comprehensively overhaul the Nigerian tax landscape to drive economic growth, increase revenue generation, improve the business environment and enhance effective tax administration across the different levels of government.

Nation

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The family of popular gospel singer Omije Ojumi has released her burial details.

The family of late gospel singer, Bunmi Akinnaanu, popularly known as Omije Ojumi, has released the schedule for her final burial rites.

The gospel singer died on January 12 after a prolonged battle with a serious leg ailment

This condition had drawn widespread concern from fans and members of the gospel music community.

Months before her death, Akinnaanu had publicly appealed for prayers and healing while struggling with the illness.

The burial arrangements were announced by fellow gospel singer, Alayo Melody, in an Instagram post, alongside a flier detailing the programme of events.

According to the schedule, the burial ceremonies will begin on Tuesday, January 20, with a service of songs at the LTV 8 Ground, Ikeja, Lagos.

This will be followed by a candlelight procession at 7 pm and a tribute and artistes’ night scheduled for 8 pm the same day.

The interment service will take place on Wednesday, January 21, and will be held strictly for family members and close associates, the family said.

Recall that Akinnaanu, who started singing at the age of 10, left a career in banking to pursue gospel music full-time.

She rose to prominence with her hit song Omije Ojumi, which resonated deeply with Nigerian Christians and became popular in churches and homes across the country