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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Operation Kosaye: Police hunt kidnappers in Lagos, Ogun forests

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Security forces from Lagos and Ogun states have launched a joint operation, codenamed "Operation Kosaye," targeting criminal networks along their border.
  • The operation has resulted in the arrest of 88 suspects, the rescue of five kidnapped victims, and the death of four suspected criminals.
  • Governors of Lagos and Ogun states commended the inter-state collaboration, emphasizing its importance in combating insecurity and ensuring public safety.

A coordinated security offensive, dubbed "Operation Kosaye" – a Yoruba phrase meaning "there is no hiding place" – has been launched by police forces from Lagos and Ogun states to dismantle criminal syndicates operating in the border region between the two southwestern Nigerian states.

The operation was designed to flush out kidnappers and other violent criminals hiding in forests, border communities and ungoverned spaces across the two states.

— Bode OjajuniCommissioner of Police in Ogun State, explaining the objectives of Operation Kosaye.

The joint operation, which involves combing forest areas and identified criminal hideouts, has already yielded significant results. Security operatives have arrested 88 suspects, rescued five individuals who had been kidnapped, and neutralized four suspected criminals during confrontations. The initiative specifically targets kidnapping rings, armed robbery gangs, and other violent criminal groups that have been using the forests and border communities as bases.

The name “Kosaye” captured the mission of the security operation, ensuring that criminals had no safe haven within the Lagos-Ogun axis.

— Bode OjajuniCommissioner of Police in Ogun State, explaining the significance of the operation's name.

The operation was formally inaugurated at the Police Training School in Iperu-Remo, Ogun State. Commissioners of Police for Ogun and Lagos states, Bode Ojajuni and Tijani Fatai, respectively, outlined the mission to flush out criminals from forests, border communities, and ungoverned spaces. The name "Kosaye" was chosen to reflect the operation's goal of leaving criminals with no safe haven.

We will continue to work with the police and other security agencies to ensure that our state is safe and secure for residents and visitors.

— Babajide Sanwo-OluGovernor of Lagos State, affirming commitment to security and inter-state cooperation.

Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun have lauded the initiative, highlighting it as a testament to the effectiveness of inter-state collaboration in tackling insecurity. Governor Sanwo-Olu, through his Information and Strategy Commissioner Gbenga Omotoso, praised the police and other security agencies for a "massive onslaught" against criminal elements, attributing the success to intelligence-led policing and cooperation. He urged residents to continue providing timely information to security agencies.

We appreciate the huge efforts of the police as directed by Inspector-General Olatunji Disu, in arresting the suspects and the cooperation of our neighbours, Ogun State. This is the way it should be.

— Babajide Sanwo-OluGovernor of Lagos State, commending the police and Ogun State for their collaborative efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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