After years of evading capture, Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh, also known as Temo, the 57-year-old leader of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The arrest occurred at his stronghold following initial resistance from his gang.
Over the past two years, the NDLEA intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira linked to Temo. Despite multiple encounters with his armed gang, which resulted in gunfights, he had managed to avoid arrest until now. Recent seizures include:
14,524.8 kg of Ghana Loud cannabis intercepted at Ojuelegba, Lagos on January 28, 2024.
Two truckloads of the same substance, weighing 8,852 kg, seized at Eleko Beach, Lekki on May 4, 2023.
252 kg of Loud cannabis confiscated from his Mushin enclave on July 26, 2023.
Temo was notorious for his constant movement to evade capture. However, on Monday, July 22, 2024, NDLEA’s surveillance teams tracked and apprehended him at Igbarere Street, Mushin. About 50 operatives were mobilized to the area when he attempted to escape in a Mercedes Benz SUV. His effort to rally hoodlums to resist arrest failed as the operatives overpowered and arrested him, recovering the SUV in the process.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers for their resilience and professionalism, urging them to continue the fight against drug cartels. Marwa emphasized that Temo’s arrest, without casualties despite the attack, sends a clear message to other drug traffickers: they can run, but they can’t hide forever.
