Operation Kosaye: Police Rescue Five Kidnap Victims, Arrest 88 Suspects in Lagos-Ogun Crackdown

Matilda Omonaiye/

Operatives of the Lagos and Ogun State Police Commands have arrested 88 suspected criminals, rescued five kidnapped victims and neutralised four suspected kidnappers during a massive joint security operation code-named Operation Kosaye (No Chance).

The operation, which involved coordinated bush-combing and anti-crime raids across Lagos, Ogun and the boundary with Oyo State, also led to the recovery of a cache of firearms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons.

Addressing journalists today at the Police Training College, Iperu, Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, said the exercise was an initiative of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, designed to eliminate criminal hideouts, combat kidnapping and reassure residents of the security of both states.

According to Ojajuni, 84 suspects, comprising 75 males and nine females, were initially arrested during raids on criminal hideouts, while four additional suspected kidnappers were apprehended during a rescue operation, bringing the total number of arrests to 88.

He disclosed that the police successfully rescued five travellers abducted along the Ore–Ogbere Road on Thursday after security operatives swiftly responded to intelligence.

“The Inspector-General of Police gave a marching order, and Operation Kosaye moved in. We rescued five kidnapped victims, neutralised four kidnappers and arrested another four in addition to the 84 suspects apprehended across Lagos and Ogun,” he said.

Ojajuni explained that Operation Kosaye signifies that there is no safe haven for criminals within Lagos and Ogun States.

He said the operation enjoyed the full backing of the governors of both states and was aimed at rooting out kidnappers, armed robbers, bandits and other criminal elements.

The police boss dismissed widespread rumours suggesting that bandits had established camps within Lagos and Ogun forests, insisting that extensive searches had found no evidence of such claims.

According to him, security teams combed forests and thick vegetation stretching from Ikeja through Kara Bridge, the Redeemed Christian Church of God Camp corridor, Iseri, Owode-Egba, Ogere, Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu-Ode, J4 near the Ondo boundary, as well as Epe, Ikorodu and Ogijo.

He said several criminal hideouts and shanties were dismantled during the operation.

Items recovered include AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, assault rifles, English-made pistols, locally fabricated firearms, ammunition, battle axes, cutlasses and mobile phones believed to have been used in criminal activities.

Ojajuni urged residents to remain calm and support security agencies by promptly reporting anyone with suspicious gunshot wounds or other information that could assist ongoing investigations.

Also speaking, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, assured residents that there was no cause for panic over reports of bandit infiltration into Lagos and Ogun.

He said security operatives had thoroughly searched forests and identified criminal flashpoints across both states, adding that the operation would continue until all criminal enclaves were dismantled.

Fatai reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to protecting lives and property, noting that the Inspector-General had directed that the operation be sustained and replicated in other parts of the country.

He also commended the Lagos and Ogun State governments for providing critical support to ensure the success of the joint security initiative.